Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath
by Destonus
Summary: A new foe rises from the past to face the Ronins, bent on fulfilling an ancient prophesy. Can our heroes stop him?
1. Enter the Draconai

Rwdrw1 _Somewhere in Saban's Fortress..._

"SHUKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" An angry voice bellowed, resonating through the halls, echoing everywhere. 

In another part of the base, from his throne room the evil lord Shuki Levy heard this sound. He knew all too well what this meant. He had failed--again. 

It had been about a year or so ago when he had first heard this voice. He was licking his wounds after his horrible defeat at the hands of the Sentai warriors that attacked his moon base and slaughtered the villains ruthlessly. His master cut down brutally by the Ronins and their allies, Shuki was forced to take over Saban's role as ruler of all he surveyed. That was when a strange cloaked figure appeared to him, surrounded by several guards, similarly dressed. 

"I can help you defeat your adversaries." He had said. At the time, Shuki had no idea how. He obviously had no idea who--or what this person was. But he was offering assistance, which he needed more than ever. He had asked at the time what this stranger wanted in exchange for his services. 

"I will help you crush your adversaries if you help me take my revenge." the stranger had said. 

Shuki had no idea what he had meant by "take my revenge". On whom? On what? Why was this stranger so eager to help him crush his adversaries when he had no clue who Shuki's adversaries actually were? And just what did this stranger REALLY want in return? 

Shuki had agreed to his demands, as vague and simple as they were. Shuki had kept his end of the bargain; or had he? 

His thoughts were cut off when two of his mysterious ally's guards entered his chamber. They were still hidden by the shadows, dressed in light ancient Japanese garb with a cuirass strapped over their chests. One of the two spoke. 

"Our master wishes to speak to you." 

As the two soldiers led Shuki down the hall, more and more of his strange ally's warriors lined the halls. They all had evil looking smirks on their faces; as if they knew what was in store for him as he was paraded down the hall towards their master's chamber. Shuki suddenly became very nervous. Judging by the look on these warriors' faces, his chances of exiting that chamber were not very high. He began to wish he had never agreed to their master's terms as they arrived at the door. One of them opened it and shoved Shuki in, slamming it behind him. 

Shuki looked around the room, and in the far corner, he could make out the image of a figure, like the others. 

"Do you know WHY I have summoned you here again?" he bellowed, his voice shaking the room once again.   
"Because I could not defeat the Ronins as I promised?" Shuki asked.   
"That is only the beginning. You failed to defeat the Ronins, EVEN WITH MY SUPERIOR AID!!!!" he bellowed. 

Before Shuki could speak, his unusual ally spoke again. 

"I had you convince the cast of DBZ that they should take revenge on the Ronins for killing Saban. But by some miracle, the Ronins won! Now they not only want to help the Ronins, the one called Vegeta has it in for us!"   
"I used my magic on your Mystic Knights, increasing the power of their weapons and armor. I enchanted their bodies as well, increasing the flow of energy to them when they needed it most. AND WHAT HAPPENED? The Ronins beat them!" 

The strange ally continued to speak. 

"Your worthless minions also allowed Navcase to escape! He has been my prisoner for hundreds of years! He knows all about our race, and most importantly, how to destroy us! AND YOU ALLOWED HIM TO ESCAPE!!! You are fortunate that he does not wish to officially side with the Ronins, or we would all be dead! And then there is the little matter of the last attempt...you assured me that two teams of Rangers would be able to crush the Ronins. But they did not, forcing me to intervene and power them up with one of my curses, only to be stopped by that accursed NAVCASE, WHOM YOU YOURSELF ALLOWED TO ESCAPE!!!!!!!!!! Not only that, but all the minions I sent to Capitol City have not returned, and I am quite sure that the strange armored warriors that you did not warn me about, are the ones responsible. You are quite lucky that I do not know who they are, for if they are the spawn of that accursed she-devil Sun Goddess Amaterasu, your bones will burn in hell for all eternity!!!!!!!!!!" 

"I have but one thing to ask you...who or what exactly are you?" Shuki replied, slightly terrified. 

The figure in the shadows began to glow with incredible energy. The room began to shake violently, as Chi surged throughout the room... 

"YOU DARE TO ASK WHO I AM? HAVE YOU NO IDEA??" the ally shouted. 

Slowly, but surely, the figure stepped into the light, still glowing. Shuki gasped at the sight. Standing before him was a seven foot tall, bald reptilian creature. His hands ended in sharp claws, his skin sleek and scaly, and shining like armor. His face protruded out somewhat, like a dragon's. Below his chin, a small beard existed. His eyes glowed white with rage. He was dressed in very regal clothing, like an ancient Chinese emperor, with a sinister look to it. As Shuki stepped back in fear, this creature thrust out its hands and lifted him into the air with incredible strength. 

"YOU KNOW NOT WHO I AM? HAVE YOU NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE ANCIENT TEXTS? DO YOU KNOW NOT OF THE LEGEND OF RYUUJIN? THAT IS MY STORY..." it said, far more angry than it was before. 

"Then th-th-at means you're..." 

"I AM CEIPHIED, LORD OF THE DRACONAI!" it bellowed, sending shivers up Shuki's spine. "THE CURSED FORMER UNDERLINGS OF DRAKKA, ALMIGHTY GOD OF THE NETHERWORLD, AND YOU, WORTHLESS POWERLESS MORTAL, HAVE FAILED ME." 

With Shuki trembling in his hands, he continued. 

"...and I do not tolerate failure." 

With no effort Ceiphied thrust his hand into Shuki's chest, and with a splash of blood he tore his still-beating heart from his chest. With incredible strength he then hurled Shuki spine first towards a fixture on the wall, impaling him. The last thing Shuki saw was an energy bolt discharged from Ceiphied that burned his still-living body to death. His screams of pain erupted through the entire base- then silence. 

Five warriors entered Ceiphied's chamber next. Each of them looked much like him, minus the beard. They each wore a suit of armor covering the chest, forearms and shins, painted and painstakingly sculpted to look like the element each represented. 

"Lord Ceiphied..." the one dressed to represent fire began, "I Kouen, and my fellow generals pledge our loyalty and that of our clans to you. What are your orders?" they asked, kow-towing before him. 

Ceiphied stepped towards his loyal generals, and motioned for them to rise. 

"Kill everyone in this base, and destroy everything. Level it. I want this place to look like the disgrace to nefariousness that ran it. We leave immediately." Ceiphied said as he exited the room. On his way out, he turned to one soldier. 

"You will stay here after we are finished destroying this place. It will be your job to assess these...Ronins." Ceiphied explained.   
"Yes my lord." the soldier said.   
"You heard Lord Ceiphied! Nothing shall be left standing!" Kouen roared. 

The surrounding area echoed with the sounds of screams and roaring, as the carnage began...   


  


**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 1: Enter the Draconai**   


  


_Several hours later..._

Off in the distance, nine distinct dots appeared to be heading towards the other side of the Pacific. Slowly but surely, they got closer and closer, revealing themselves to be the Five Ronin Warriors and the Four former Dark Warlords. 

"Are you sure we can take these guys out Ryo? Shuki has a lot of minions." Kento said.   
"We'll do whatever it takes Kento; I'm just glad to be doing this after all this time." Rowen added.   
"It is a wonder we did not take up this suggestion sooner!" Sekhmet added, eager for more carnage.   
"We'll be able to handle it; they can't be too much for a fully armed group of Ronins to handle." Sage added.   
"Uh guys, I'm picking up an incredible amount of energy coming from Shuki's base." Rowen said.   
"It's probably nothing." Kale said.   
"Yeah! Nothing but the combined level of Chi those guys have when you add them all up!" Kento added.   
"We should be on our guard anyway, right Wildfire? Ryo?" Anubis asked. 

As the distance between them and Shuki's base became smaller and smaller, Ryo had become lost in thought. Could they do this? Would they find the answers to their problems during their conflict with the Mystic Knights and the Galaxy Rangers? What new problem would arise to replace Shuki once they had finished him off? And how would they defeat that foe?" 

_"Be Patient Ryo of the Wildfire...Tsubasa no Hi...All will become clear in time." _a voice seemed to whisper in his ear.   
"What was that?" Ryo thought. "Tsubasa no Hi? _Wings of Flame?" _"All will be revealed in time?" "What does this mean? Hello? Is there anyone there?" Ryo called out with his thoughts. But no answer. He finally came to his senses and realized that Anubis was calling out to him as well. 

"Earth to Ryo..." Anubis said.   
"Huh? What?" Ryo asked.   
"Ryo. Rowen has detected a large power coming from up ahead. I was telling the others that we should be on our guard, should we not?" Anubis asked.   
"Yeah, We should." Ryo said.   
"Good." 

As the group streaked off past the camera, a voice whispered in Anubis' ear as well..."and_ for you as well, Tsubasa no Kurayami..."_

Anubis also tried to make sense of this as they loomed closer and closer, faster and faster... 

Some distance behind them, Navcase was slowly but surely trying to catch up. His armor was not as advanced, or as fast as that of the Ronins. But it was twice as dangerous to the user. As its warp dragon mode streaked towards the fortress, within it Navcase struggled to keep control of it...and himself. 

"I must...keep...control...I have to warn the Ronins before it's too late...he is more than a match for them...they are walking into...the gates of hell...I'm going to need help...I won't beat them there in this ancient junk heap." 

Closing his eyes, Navcase focused every inch of his mind. His astral body raced across time and space, high into the sky, out of the Mortal Realm, towards the Palace of the Heavens. 

In the pool in the rear of the palace, Ayame lay motionless on her back on an inflatable mattress, drifting through the water. Her arms were dangling over the sides of the device, being moved by the drifting alone, in total bliss and silence, as the day and she, taking a snooze for herself as usual, floated lazily along... 

And then...came Navcase's voice, coming above the silence, appearing in her mind once more. 

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO THIS WHEN I'M TOTALLY RELAXED?" Ayame shouted angrily.   
"Miss Ayame, I apologize for disturbing your slumber..." Navcase began.   
"Again." Ayame said under her breath with gritted teeth.   
"...again. But this time it is urgent." Navcase began to explain.   
"Isn't it always..." Ayame said sarcastically to herself, upset that her peaceful afternoon had been shattered by his arrival.   
"Please, listen. The Ronins and Warlords are on their way to Shuki's base." Navcase explained. 

At the sound of this Ayame forgot about her sun worshipping and snapped back to reality. 

"Shuki's Base? Do they have any idea what's there?" she asked, almost furious with the heroes for their stupidity.   
"Unfortunately no. I tried to get a head start on them but unfortunately they left before I did. I am trying to get there before them, but their armors are much more advanced and faster than mine is..."   
"Please don't tell me you're still using Ryuujin after you KNOW what it does to you..." Ayame said in an almost scolding tone.   
"It is the only way I have to get there...the curse has not spread enough for me to teleport. Ceiphied usually puts the whole curse on at once, he wanted me to suffer so he put a 500 or so year delay into my treatment..." Navcase attempted to explain.   
"Okay, stop complaining, calm down. I'm coming. I just hope I get there before they do..." Ayame said.   
"Thank you." Navcase said, smiling.   
"And one more thing..." Ayame asked.   
"Yes?" Navcase asked inquisitively.   
"Would you give me some sort of _warning, _you know, before you force your way into my subconscious?" Ayame asked.   
"I am sorry. I'll try harder next time. It is just that I believe that your youngest sister should not be exposed to this, her innocence is the only thing that protects her from the severity of the situation, your twin sister, not to mention your eldest sibling have developed resistance to me, and the mind of your middle sibling downright scares me..." Navcase explained and complained.   
"Okay, shut up, I'm coming I'm coming." Ayame said.   
"I shall meet you there." Navcase said, leaving Ayame's mind as quickly as he had entered. This sudden shock of him leaving caused Ayame to flip off, splashing into the pool.   
"NAVCASE!!!!!!!!! I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS!!!!!" Ayame shouted in anger. 

As the Ronins entered the home stretch to the base, they noticed plumes of smoke coming in the distance. 

"Look at that." Rowen said, pointing it out.   
"Smoke." Kale observed.   
"It appears to be coming from Shuki's base, but I am not sure why." Anubis said.   
"We should be careful. It could be a trap." Dais said.   
"Right. Try and keep your power down. We don't want to tip them off before we get there. We should slow down." Ryo said. 

With that the group slowed their speed and slowly approached the base. As they entered the area they realized that the fires had indeed been coming from Shuki's base. Almost everything had been reduced to rubble. There were small fires everywhere, still burning from the damage that had been done. The once proud fortress of Shuki was now a desolate wasteland. 

"Look at this place..." Kento said softly as they passed over the area.   
"What in the world could have done this..." Sage added.   
"Ryo, I hate to say it, but that signal's gotten stronger the closer we've got to it." Rowen added.   
"Look over there. There's a place to set down." Sai said, pointing to a small piece of land that was flat enough for them to take to the ground.   
"Okay. Here's the plan. Rowen, you stay in the air and circle around to see if you can lock down where that signal's coming from in here. If you find it, let us know immediately. The rest of you, come with me." Ryo said. 

Their verniers fired to slow their decent as one by one the Ronins and Warlords touched down, followed by Kale as his Epyon returned to its humanoid form. Last to land was Ryo as his Wing Zero armor returned to its humanoid state. He pulled out his twin buster rifle and attached it to his shield. 

"Let's be careful. We don't know what we're up against." Ryo said, brandishing the weapon.   
"I agree." Sai said, bringing out his beam machine-gun and cocking it.   
"We should proceed with extreme caution." Dais said, attempting to stay focused and calm despite the fact that he, the infamous Dark Warlord of Illusion, was actually scared.   
"I'm ready to fry some minions." Kento said, extending his dragon claw and gripping it with the other hand like an actual flame-thrower.   
"Let's go. Slowly." Ryo said as the group of warriors stepped forward, Kento in the lead to fry anything that got close, Ryo behind him to vaporize it with the twin buster rifle, Sage following him with his sword drawn, Kale beside him, his finger ready to ignite his beam sword if anything got too close; behind them Sekhmet, looking giddy as a schoolboy, prepared to slice everything down, Dais, ready with his own weaponry, trying to stay calm; behind him an equally nervous Anubis, gripping his unextended scythe tightly with his hands, and Sai, bringing up the rear with his beam machine-gun ready to riddle anything with energy bolts. 

The eight moved along carefully, examining the damage that had been done. Every effort had been made to decimate the place. Just then, a faint noise was heard. 

"Did you hear something?" Anubis asked.   
"No." Kento replied.   
"It could be something dangerous." Anubis said.   
"And it could just be your imagination. Let's keep looking." Sage said. 

The group continued onward through the wreckage of what used to be Shuki's base. As they took step after step, the group slowly realized that the further they got, the more damage had been done. 

"Ryo. It may sound strange, but I'm picking up something on my motion sensors. Something's coming towards us at a decent speed." Anubis reported.   
"Wonderful. Must be the welcoming committee." Ryo said. "Everyone, stop and get ready."   
"It's closing very fast. 100 yards and closing." Anubis reported. 

Kento aimed his flame-thrower in the direction Anubis indicated, while Ryo pointed his cannon in the same direction in hopes that he could get a bead on it before it got too close. 

"50 yards and closing..." Anubis reported. 

The warriors tightened their grips on their weapons, prepared for the worst. 

"20 yards..." 

The eight heroes began to sweat. Ryo's fingers trembled on the trigger to his weapon. Would he have to fire? Or would it be nothing? 

"70 feet..." Anubis reported. 

"This better be nothing..." Sai said as he also prepared to fire. 

Anubis continued to announce the distance between them and the target. The distance grew shorter, and shorter. Minutes seemed like hours. And then, finally, Anubis spoke the dreaded words... 

"It's here!" 

Everyone tensed and prepared to fire...as a small mouse scampered from under some rubble, sniffed around, and then scampered off in another direction. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

"We practically blasted what's left of this place to ashes...because your sensors picked up a MOUSE?" Kento said.   
"How was I supposed to know it was a mouse? This thing doesn't differentiate!" Anubis shouted back.   
"Hey guys! I..." a voice said. 

Without a word Anubis fired up his scythe and swung towards the direction of the voice, until he saw a glint of dark blue. Realizing what he was about to do, Anubis managed to stop the still glowing blade only inches from Rowen's throat. 

"...took a look around this place. Nothing. I also managed to lock down wherever that energy was coming from. If it's anywhere, it's in there." Rowen said, pointing towards the only structure in this place that seemed to be still intact somewhat. 

"Shuki's personal living space." Ryo said. "Anubis, if you would..." 

Anubis powered down the blade and placed it on his back once again with an angry look on his face. 

"Let's go. AND DON'T EVER SNEAK UP ON US LIKE THAT!!!" Anubis said.   
"Why so tense? There's nothing here!" Rowen said as he and the others made their way towards Shuki's living quarters. Anubis continued to give him an evil look. 

_Meanwhile, back at the Palace..._

Ayame climbed out of the pool and wrapped herself in a towel. Tiptoeing towards the back door, she opened it, and headed for the stairs to her room. Closing the door behind her, she threw off her two-piece and threw on jeans and a T-shirt after drying herself off. She knew that her mom and dad were in elsewhere in the palace complex discussing the current situation. All she had to worry about was getting by her sisters without them knowing. Mom had expressed her concern that with Ceiphied on Earth none of them were to leave the Palace without her express permission...and the answer was usually no. 

Ayame slowly but carefully opened her door, being careful not to make it creak as to alert the attention of her siblings. As she tiptoed towards her eldest sisters' room, she heard a loud deafening sound coming from within. Fortunately for her, Yuri's door was open a crack. Ayame peeked through. Aside from the posters of athletes from Japan, her dozens and dozens of GLAY CD's strewn over the floor, sure enough, lying sprawled on top of her bed, was Yuri, asleep, snoring as usual. 

After carefully closing the door behind her to drown out the noise, she came towards Suiren's room. She heard several giggles coming from her room. 

"DAMN..." Ayame thought as she tiptoed towards it. 

She looked into the room, but fortunately, Suiren was facing the other way. Her room was very...girly, with its green walls plastered with posters and wallscrolls of every single bishounen and cute seiyuu to ever walk the earth or be animated. 

"Aya! Really! You should totally leave five zillion messages on that dude's cell phone if he's that much of a babe!" Suiren said excitedly into the phone. 

Relieved that Suiren was temporarily and indefinitely distracted and racking up their interdimensional phone bill, Ayame proceeded down the hallway towards the room of her evil twin sister. Peeking in, she was nowhere to be found, however her numerous swords mounted on the wall along with posters of Aoshi were everywhere . Remembering that the Devil Girl was out practicing for the nine zillionth time elsewhere in the Heavens, Ayame headed down the hall to that of her youngest sibling. Peeking into Ran's room, she found her numerous Brilliant Green posters lining the walls...her collection of CD's, including every released single neatly stacked on her dresser, her clothes neatly arranged in her closet, her pink bedspread neatly made, but...no Ran. 

Ayame began to panic. Where could she be? Ayame was nervous. If Ran was still in the palace, wandering around, she could spell trouble for her little exit. But where was she? Finally reaching the stairs, Ayame tiptoed down them, careful not to awaken her sleeping older sister upstairs. Peeking into the living room, she breathed a sigh of relief at the scene there. 

The TV was on, but turned down low. The room was empty except for one thing. Noticing a pair of of shoes lying on the floor and a pair of purple socked feet sticking over the armrest, her eyes followed them up to a pair of overalls and a tie-dyed T-shirt, and a head of purple hair with her hands resting comfortably and on her chest, her beautiful lavender eyes closed gently. Ayame breathed a sigh of relief as she observed that Ran was sleeping like a baby, taking her daily afternoon nap. 

Ayame tiptoed slowly across the room, making sure not to wake up her slumbering younger sibling. About halfway across the floor, Ayame froze as she saw Ran stir. Her heart began to beat faster. She closed her eyes in horror that she would be discovered...and then, it happened. 

Ran let out a little yawn...and then drifted back to sleep, snoring gently. Ayame headed out the door and went goddess, teleporting off towards the battle scene. 

_Meanwhile..._

The Ronins had arrived at the door of Shuki's former lair. It stood ominously before them, and it did not take them long to realize that it was locked. 

"We've got to get this open...silently." Ryo explained.   
"Leave that to the man of Stone." Kento said, bringing out his beam glaive. He proceeded to twirl it.   
"No Kento. No sure-kills. That will lure whatever it is that's here with us." Anubis cautioned. "We need a more, direct, silent approach. Kale, if you would." Anubis said. 

The others stepped back as Kale brought out the handle of his beam sword. Cranking it up to maximum length, he leapt into the air and sliced cleanly through the hinges, causing the door to fall...right on top of him. 

"And Destonus promised us there'd be no gag humor in this episode! Now help me lift this off him." Anubis said. 

Working together the Ronins managed to pry the large heavy door off poor Kale, who miraculously was all right, thanks to the several feet of Gundanium armor. Powering down his weapon, the nine stepped into total darkness. 

"We better get some light in here." Ryo said.   
"O' Sword of the Zeus Halo...light our way through this darkness." Sage said. His sword began to glow, lighting their way through the hall in front of them. Slowly but surely they moved down the halls again, past what seemed like hundreds of bodies, of minions and humans alike. 

"Whoever...or whatever these guys are, they're pretty thorough..." Sage observed.   
"Keep your eyes and sensors peeled guys...and stay frosty." Ryo said, aiming his cannon into the blackness. In time, they came across a door. This time, Rowen managed to hot-wire it and get it to slide open, rather than risk another accident for Kale. The group stepped into what appeared to be some sort of throne room. It was very modern, filled with screens which were now smashed or broadcasting snow. 

"This appears to be Shuki's throne room. This must be where he conducted all his attempts to kill us." Anubis observed. 

The group stepped in so that all could see. It could be surmised that the demolition crew that caused the destruction clearly intended to do the most damage to this chamber, as nothing was left in working condition. Shuki's throne was was smashed to pieces. 

"Look at this...They must have blasted this with one shot." Kento said.   
"No..." Rowen said, examining it more closely. These cuts are were precision. It's as if whoever did this wanted the throne to suffer as much as the person who sat in it."   
"There's nothing here. Let's keep looking." Ryo said, heading for the door.   
"I'm starting to get the idea that there's nothing here." Sai said.   
"That and we should seriously get out of here..." Dais added, getting more terrified by the minute.   
"We still haven't finished searching yet." Ryo said. 

Knowing full well that Ryo would not let up until every inch of the place was checked, the group proceeded down the hallway. 

Ryo was also very worried, but he refused to let his allies see it. To see him scared he thought, would diminish his ability as a leader. As much as he wanted to leave himself, something told him that they should search this place thoroughly to make sure. 

Dais of course, was terrified. There was only two main things he feared in the universe; Kayura during that time of the month and Talpa. This was coming up as number three. He racked his brain for every conceivable thing that could have caused this from the Nether World. Talpa? No, he was on their side now. Kajin had disappeared off the face of the Earth, apparently to wait until they were old and senile to take over. Not to mention that Drakka had been sealed into Hell, along with all his warlords, soldiers, and minions by Amaterasu. What was left? What was left that was on Earth that could cause this kind of devastation? 

"Dais...you might want to see this." Kento said, snapping him back from his thoughts. 

The group entered what appeared to be yet another throne room. This one was more elaborate, though it seemed that the throne had been removed for some reason. Fancy elaborate rugs lined the floor towards where the throne had been, tapestries seemed to have been abruptly but carefully removed from the walls in some sort of big hurry. But the most gruesome sight was on the other side of the room, directly across from where the throne was. 

"I'm starting to get really scared now..." Kento said, observing the sight.   
"What could have done this..." Sage added.   
"I think I'm going to be sick..." Sai added. 

Stuck in a spike protruding from the wall, hanging limp and lifeless, still dripping with blood, was Shuki. 

"What a way to go..." Kale added.   
"Ryo," Anubis said, grabbing their leader violently. "It would be in our best interest to get out of here...now, before we discover what it is that did that." Anubis said.   
"I'm right behind you." Ryo said.   
"Not so fast, Ronin Warriors." a voice said. 

The group whirled around to find a strange opponent. He was dressed in the usual garb of one of Ceiphied's warriors, though his clothing seemed to have red accents to it, and that was also quite clear in his scales. 

"So you're the bastard who killed Shuki." Kento said, preparing for combat.   
"Easy Kento..." Ryo cautioned, "We don't want to provoke him..."   
"Me? No, you are very wrong little boy. That honor went to our noble master Lord Ceiphied." the soldier said.   
"Ceiphied? Lord of the Draconai Ceiphied?" Anubis said, forgetting he was saying this out loud.   
"The very same. I'm surprised that you measly slaves to the weakest of the armors are still alive...but I forgot who you've been fighting all this time."   
"Weaklings? I'll SHOW YOU!!!" Kento screamed in rage. "TIME TO BE BURNED TO A CRISP PAL!!!!"   
"Kento no!" Ryo shouted, but it was too late. Kento let down a stream of flame, laughing eagerly, but then he heard his opponent laugh, and he cut off the flame. His laugh ended abruptly.   
"Was that supposed to hurt me?" the soldier asked, brushing the soot off his singed clothing. "Perhaps it's time to show you the true power of the Draconai..." he said, beginning to build up energy.   
"Um Ryo, we better run. This guy's powering up...and he's doing a VERY good job of it." Rowen said. 

Before they could flee, the soldier fired a ki blast from both hands, which knocked the nine clear through the wall and into the next room. 

"That...really hurt." Kento said. "He's mine!" Kento shouted, charging at him with his staff, ready to clock him. As he got closer and closer to the soldier, the soldier never moved, simply standing there, waiting. Kento swung, and with lighting fast reflexes he blocked...with his claw. With the other he punched Kento, knocking him back onto his teammates. 

"Who's next?" He taunted. 

Sage and Kale nodded to themselves, and charging with their normal blades lunging towards the soldier in a double team, they were shocked to watch him stop both their blades with two fingers each, and then push them back with incredible strength. But he learned this was was only a trick to allow Sai to get ready with his man catcher. The energies began to build around the weapon as he brought it out of the kata and aimed straight at the soldier. 

"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!!!!" Sai shouted, letting him have it. But he saw that it was in vain. A wall of solid energy had appeared in front of the warrior.   
"I would have thought that me being a dragon that I would be able to generate a wall of sheer will to protect myself...what? You didn't? Too bad."   
"I have had enough." Anubis said, readying his scythe blade and charging at the soldier.   
"Anubis no! We already tried that!" Ryo said. "He'll just block!" 

Moments before striking, Anubis retracted the metal blade and ignited the beam, slicing cleanly through his arm. 

"That hurt..." he said, nursing his wound. But moments later, another regrew. "Bio-regeneration. It's a wonderful thing, isn't it?" 

He let loose with a power punch to the chest, knocking Anubis dramatically backwards and slamming into the wall again. 

"That's it! Technology!" Rowen deduced. 

Sai took aim with his beam machine-gun and riddled the soldier with hundreds of shots, tearing his clothing and leaving several scars. The others opened fire with their vulcans and machinecannons, leaving even more damage. 

"How dare you harm me!!!!" he shouted, blasting them once again, sending them flying. "If you desire to fight me...I wish to die honorably, not cut down by a hail of the accursed new magic."   
"Well, he wants a clean fight, let's give it to him." Kento said. 

The warriors brandished their weapons and charged at the soldier, hoping their outnumbering him would be the key to victory. It appeared that he was more than a match. He blocked the Ronins' assaults time and time again, punching them, kicking them, knocking them back, only to be charged again. He finally let loose with a powerful attack, knocking all the Ronins in different directions, slamming into walls at almost exactly the same time... 

"Either this guy's really tough or he's been watching WAY too much DBZ..." Kento said.   
"That does it." Ryo said, stepping forward. "Hey, You!"   
"You wish to address me, after I have clearly wiped the floor with your measly efforts?" the soldier replied. "This will be a very disappointing report to bring back to my master."   
"Yeah, but I have the advantage in the air." Ryo said, firing up his thrusters and spreading the wings, rocketing upward through the roof.   
"What little you know Ronin..." the soldier said, arching his back, causing a pair of batlike dragon wings to slowly appear from it, before flying into the air to face Ryo.   
"Let's go." Ryo said, bringing out his sword. 

The sparks flew as the two clashed again and again, darting through the sky like dragonflies. 

"Everyone, I think Ryo is trying to buy us some time. Let's get out of here." Anubis shouted.   
"But what about Ryo?" Sage asked.   
"He knows what he's doing. Let's get out before another of those things shows up." Dais said. 

Weak but still functional, the group broke into a run as they fled out the way they came, while Ryo continued to battle in the sky. As they ran, the soldier spotted them. 

"Where are you going? I'm not finished with you yet..." He said, charging up an energy bolt and letting it fly.   
"NO!" Ryo shouted, diving to stop it before his friends were killed. But he had his own problems.   
"Everyone! Get behind me!" Anubis shouted suddenly.   
"Anubis have you lost your..." Kale started to say.   
"NOW!" Anubis said sharply. 

As the energy blast loomed closer and closer, Anubis shut his eyes, and focused. He felt a new power surge from within just as the blast struck...but he felt nothing. 

When the smoke cleared, the Ronins were all safe and sound. 

"What? How could they..." then the soldier noticed something glowing on Anubis..."Oh shit..."   
"Yeah, 'oh shit' is right..." Ryo said, locking on to him with THE GUN. "Ninmu Ryoukai..." 

Ryo let him have it with the twin buster rifle, causing a huge scream of pain as he was slowly vaporized into nothing. The beam headed out for several miles before dissipating. 

Ryo breathed heavily, and breathed a sigh of relief that the soldier was now vaporized... 

"Ninmu...Kan...ryou..." Ryo said. 

"I think we REALLY need to get that suit off him..." Anubis said. 

Ryo touched down, putting his weapons away. 

"Let's get back to Mia's. Maybe she has more information on the Draconai." he said. 

With that, the nine took off for home, leaving behind forever the desolate wasteland of Shuki's base. 

_Several minutes later..._

Navcase touched down and shrunk Ryuujin back to its normal size. He looked around. 

"I'm too late...I was too late..." he said, mourning the loss of the Ronins.   
"Nope, they're still around. I already checked." Ayame said, lying on a piece of rubble, desperately trying to get a tan.   
"What happened here?" Navcase asked. 

Ayame hopped down from her perch, and took off her sunglasses. 

"From what I figured out, the Draconai leveled this place, but judging from the nine armor shaped holes in what must have been Ceiphied's throne room, I'd say he left a little welcoming gift for the guys..." Ayame said.   
"It's my fault...I wasn't able to warn them...I have failed." Navcase said. 

Ayame watched this noble warrior berate himself for not being able to be there to help. She was kicking herself too, for also not hurrying as much as she could have. But in the corner of her mind, she thought, "Damn, Navcase's kinda cute when he's wallowing in his own self-pity..." 

"Oh cheer up." Ayame said, placing her hand on his armored shoulder. "It's only one victory. The battle's just begun. Look, the boys are back in Toyama trying to get more information..."   
"You know as well as I do that the ancient texts that mention the Draconai are quite vague...only my first hand experience with them can help them, and they do not have access to the reams of knowledge in the Library of the Palace of the Heavens. I must help the Ronins until they learn how to properly defeat the Draconai...but this armor is far from being 'an oldie but a goodie'" Navcase explained.   
"Right, you've got to keep them alive until Mom and Dad can do something. As for Ryuujin, maybe you need an upgrade or something." Ayame suggested. She handed him a business card.   
"Go see this guy. He's the one who built our armors and the Ronins...if he can't do anything to that old heap, then you're really finished." Ayame said, heading off. "Oh yeah...before I forget...I want you to have this." she said. 

Reaching around her neck, she pulled on a cord that brought out a pendant with a blue crystal attached to it. It sparkled in the sunlight. Navcase opened his helmet up and she placed it around his neck. 

"It'll protect you..." Ayame explained, "and give you hope, believe me, I'm full of it." Ayame said.   
"I'm very flattered by your gift, Miss Ayame but I have som" 

He turned to find that Ayame was no longer there. 

"...eone. Enjoy your sunbathing, or whatever it is you teens do these days..." he said, smiling. Then, with a somber look on his face, he looked to the sky, and whispered sadly, "Yuriko..."   
  
  
  
  


**To Be Continued...**

Next Episode: 

RYO: Hey Dudes, it's me, Ryo. Next time, we go to Mia to find out more about these Draconai things. They're pretty tough. Imagine our surprise when we learn they've set up shop in Toyama. As usual, it's Ronin Warriors to Arms, but a familiar face is waiting for us when we arrive on the scene. 

_NAVCASE: You have no idea what you're up against Ronin Warriors. No matter how hard you try, you will never defeat the Draconai if you continue along this path..._

RYO: Join us Next time for the next exciting episode of Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath, Wrong Path to Victory. See ya!   



	2. Wrong Path to Victory

Rwdrw2 _Somewhere in Toyama...___

From a watchtower in a military base just outside Toyama, a lone soldier spotted through his binoculars a strange site. He tried to focus on what appeared to be a scaly creature in the moonlight. 

"Um, Sarge?" he called out. 

Moments later the gruff-looking, Sergeant in the base came out of his quarters and called up to the soldier. 

"What is your malfunction Private for calling me out of my quarters at this time of night?" he asked.   
"Um Sarge, I saw something strange over in that direction." He said, pointing. "Looks like some sort of hostile lifeform.   
"Do you have any idea what we do to hostile life forms Private?" the Sarge called out.   
"No sir."   
"We kill it." The Sarge said evilly. 

A large howitzer was wheeled out and aimed in the direction of what could very well be a Draconai. The Sarge took one last puff of his cigar and ordered, "Fire." 

The shell flew from the cannon and slammed into the Draconai, blasting it to atoms. 

"We got 'im!" the Private shouted. 

Suddenly strange cries were heard in the distance! 

"What was that? 'Ishibiya'?" the Private wondered.   
"Stone Fire Arrow?" the Sarge added. "Oh SHIT." 

Several energy blasts slammed into the tower, blasting it to kingdom come. More blasts came flying, hitting other structures in the base. Soldier after soldier gathered at the front doors of the base, ready for action. The doors were knocked down and the soldiers cut down by claws one by one as hundreds of Draconai stormed into the base. From a nearby rooftop, Ceiphied oversaw the operation. Kouen landed next to his master and retracted his wings. 

"Master, our Ishibiya Corps have demolished 60% of their offensive capabilities. Our ground forces are taking care of the rest." he said.   
"Excellent. Tell the other Generals to continue their assault and attempt to take as many prisoners as possible...one for every Draconai that falls." Ceiphied ordered.   
"But what if none fall?" Kouen asked. 

Ceiphied smiled. 

"Then it is all the more soldiers for me to recruit for our evil ranks." he explained.   
"Very well sir." Kouen said, spreading his wings and heading towards the battlefield, letting out a blast of flame on the surroundings below. 

(DRAGON'S WRATH 1ST OP: SURREAL by AYUMI HAMASAKI)   


**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 2: Wrong Path to Victory**   
****

  
****

After their narrow defeat at the hands of Ceiphied's minion, the nine heroes had gathered in the home of Mia Kouji once again to figure out what they should do next. Rowen had offered to assist her; his skill and speed with computers was what they needed now, and fast. 

"So, what's so special about these Draconai?" Kento asked. 

The nine had sat down around the living room, waiting for Mia. The four former Warlords had taken seats on the couch, where Dais nervously and still trembling tried to calm himself down with tea. Ryo and Kento had sat down on armchairs, while the other heroes sat on the floor, awaiting Mia's answer. 

"Well, to tell you the truth guys, there's not much on them." Mia said.   
"WHAT? Those guys nearly gave us a run for our money. There's got to be something on those dudes." Kento said.   
"Not even a tiny bit?" Sai asked.   
"Well, it says that Ceiphied is their leader, and probably still is, few dare to challenge him. However not many people have actually survived long enough to learn anything about them...so that's why there's not much on them." Mia explained.   
"There is one person who could know. Navcase." Anubis said.   
"However, we can't find him." Sage said.   
"Then of course, there is Amaterasu herself..." Sai added.   
"Who we can't get to." Sage said.   
"Besides, I have no desire to see those...distractions anytime soon." Anubis said.   
"Now Anubis, you promised you'd lay off them..." Rowen said.   
"So, what do we do now Ryo?" Sai asked. 

All attention was on Ryo now. What would their noble leader say? Ryo looked to Anubis for help...but he also seemed to want to know what Ryo's orders would be. They were clearly facing a foe which they were unequipped to handle. But it was also their duty to protect Toyama from harm. And they were the only ones who could, unless of course Navcase showed up. 

Suddenly something came on that intrigued them even more: A news broadcast. 

"We interrupt Noir to bring you a special news update. Earlier this evening a military base outside Toyama was attacked. So far no survivors have been reported. Police are urging residents to stay away from the area. In other news, strange winged lizard things have been spotted in the area." 

"It's gotta be the Draconai." Kento said. "So, what's the plan man?" he asked Ryo.   
"Well, they are more than a match for us, however it is our duty to protect this city, so I say we go attack them at the source and take them out before this gets out of hand and we put up with them for another 24 episodes." Ryo said.   
"Ryo is right. Although they clearly outnumber us it is our duty to deal with them, for we are the only ones who can." Anubis said.   
"Mia, tell Hariel to be standing by in case we need him. Ronin Warriors To Arms!" Ryo shouted. 

_Meanwhile...back at the fortress...___

Kouen walked into a large chamber that had recently been converted into a throne room for Ceiphied. He kowtowed before his draconian master. 

"Lord Ceiphied, the prisoners are ready. We only lost 5 soldiers but captured hundreds more." Kouen explained.   
"Excellent. And you retrieved the Energists from the dead?" Ceiphied asked curiously.   
"Yes my lord."   
"Good. Then it is time for me to increase my army." Ceiphied said, heading down the hall with Kouen to another room. Several hundred military soldiers had been bound and held in place by Draconai soldiers. Five had been separated from the rest. Kouen presented them to Ceiphied. Another General, wearing an armor that was colored and sculpted to look like ice, handed Ceiphied the energist crystals. They looked like crystalline round roses. Ceiphied went up to the first of the separated soldiers, and with one gesture ripped his heart out of his chest and placed an energist in its place. He did the same to the other four before stepping back and holding up his hands, and concentrating. 

"O' powers of supreme evil in the Nether World...O' ancient lord of the Nether Dragons, heed my command..." Ceiphied said. 

The sky above the base turned completely black, and thunder and lightning crashed as Ceiphied continued. 

"Fallen Draconian brothers, may your souls awaken and devour these the souls and vessels of these sacrifices, so that you may live again!" Ceiphied shouted. 

At those words, the five energists began to glow. Scales began to grow out of the hole in their chest and soon covered it completely. The blanket of scales proceeded down the legs and out to the arms as the soldiers screamed in pain as their bodies were taken over. Lastly their heads became scaled, the last visages of their humanity gone. The five reborn Draconai kowtowed before their master. 

"Rakurai," Ceiphied said to a tougher looking Draconai who wore armor styled to look like bolts of lightning, "bring these five the mantles of Resurrection, to show that they have returned to us."   
"As you wish master." Rakurai said. 

"Darkest evils of the Nether World, evil power, of Dragons long gone, I command thee, bestow upon these unfortunate weaklings, the curse of the Draconai!!!!" Ceiphied roared. 

Magical energy bolts shot from his hands, striking the soldiers before him. When the light show was complete, they began to scream in pain as their skin turned bit by bit to scales. Wings sprouted from their backs. Their hands turned to claws. Their hair disappeared as it became covered with scales. Their eyes became more lizard like, as did the rest of their face and heads. The screams turned to roars as the curse was complete. The hundreds of newly made soldiers kowtowed to their master. 

"This will temporarily bolster my forces until we can find suitable victims...only naturally born Draconai can develop the capacity of a breath weapon." Ceiphied said. 

Another Draconai ran in. His armor was styled to look as if it was dripping of poison. 

"Lord Ceiphied! Our lookouts have spotted the Ronins! They are on their way here now! Your orders?" 

Ceiphied headed down his ranks and tapped the shoulders of ten of his new recruits. 

"Gekidoku!" Ceiphied shouted.   
"Yes Master." he replied.   
"Have these new recruits go out to meet the Ronins with an additional ten from the true bloods. We will give these armored weaklings a challenge." Ceiphied said.   
"Yes master." Gekidoku replied. "Listen up you children! It is time to prove yourselves worthy minions to Lord Ceiphied! Let's go!" Gekidoku said. 

The soldiers cheered and chanted Ceiphied's name as the ten stormed out of the room like a football team ready for the big game. Ceiphied smiled evilly at their eagerness. He had chosen wisely. 

Slowly but surely the Ronins made their way closer and closer to the base. They were again worried. Would they succeed? They had just barely won their last encounter with the Draconai. This was a dangerous undertaking. 

Ryo checked his readouts and readied his weapons as they got closer. He hoped he could lead them to victory. 

Anubis was also worried. This foe was far stronger than even he had anticipated. One was bad enough, but could they take on a whole group of them? Their questions were soon answered as a group of Draconai were spotted charging at the heroes. 

"Here comes the Welcoming Committee!" Kento said, preparing for action.   
"There seem to be twenty by my count." Anubis said, preparing his own weapon.   
"Remember guys, these things seem to be weak against technology." Rowen explained.   
"So let's be careful." Ryo said, gripping his own weapons. "CHA..."   
"Wait Ryo. Several of them seem to be dressed differently than the others...like soldiers." Dais observed.   
"I see what you mean Dais. Perhaps these strangers have not managed to develop their full capabilities yet."   
"Cannon fodder. My favorite kind of adversary." Sekhmet said, drawing his swords and placing them in front of him.   
"SNAKE!!!! FANG!!!! STRIKE!!!!!!!" He shouted, cracking his bladed whip time and time again, causing Draconai after Draconai to gush blood and loose limbs.   
"My turn. IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!!!" Kento said, twirling his staff and then pointing it at the ground, sending a flurry of rocks slamming into several, smashing them to pieces, taking out about five of the strange ones. The one Draconai that appeared to be in its path put up one of the shields to protect itself.   
"Damn. More like the one we fought before." Sage said.   
"Well, let's finish off the easy ones and work our way up." Kale said. 

Readying their weapons, Kale cracked his heat rod at one, managing to get another within the attack as well. Another tried to get him from behind, but Kale cut him down with a quick swipe of his sword. 

Sage, taking a cue from Kenshin, leapt into the air and crashed down on one of them, splitting his head open. He kicked him into another soldier, before driving his sword through both of them, impaling them. He brought out his hammer and hurled it at the last one, decapitating the final soldier. 

"Good work guys." Ryo said.   
"No problem." Sage said.   
"They didn't even put up a decent fight." Kento grumbled. 

One of the other Draconai headed over to the fallen, and kneeled down, as if to pick something up. 

"Hey, what's that guy doing..." Rowen said. 

Before he could figure out, he pointed his arm towards Rowen and fired an energy blast, knocking him away. His companions leapt into the air and jump kicked the other four Ronins to the ground. Anubis swung his scythe at the one closest to Sai, but he blocked once more with his claw before placing his foot on Anubis' chest and backflipping, nailing Anubis in the jaw and scratching his armor as well, knocking him backward. Sage and Kale became weaker and weaker as the others parried blow after blow with their claws. The one doing some sort of gathering sprouted his wings and started to fly off. 

"I've got him!" Sai said, pulling out his beam machine-gun and getting a bead on him. He prepared to pull the trigger to get rid of this one before the other four screamed, "ISHIBIYA!!!" a call back was heard as well.   
"Ishibiya?" Anubis said, as if the word sounded familiar to him.   
"Isn't that old Japanese for..." Sekhmet began.   
"HAND CANNON!" the four said in unison. 

While the five Ronin prepared to open fire on their opponents, the four former Warlords dive tackled their companions just before a series of powerful energy bolts struck the spot where they were standing. 

Anubis spotted several soldiers atop a building, each holding a strange looking stick with an iron engraved barrel at one end. They aimed again and began to focus, before firing again! Anubis tried to push the others out of the way, but he was nailed in the back, leaving serious damage to the rear plating of his armor. He slowly fell to the ground. The others gathered around him. 

"Anubis, are you all right?" Kale asked.   
"I'll be fine. The armor absorbed most of the blow thankfully." Anubis said with a sigh of relief.   
"We better be careful. One of those attacks could hit us head on in the chest." Ryo said.   
"It looks like they're getting ready to fire again..." Rowen said.   
"Okay. Sai, you stay here and protect Anubis from those guys. Rowen, you and the others go see what you can do about the other Draconai. I'll go and keep those guys busy from the air and try and draw their fire." Ryo said.   
"But Ryo, that's suicide!" Rowen protested.   
"No one said being the leader was easy. Risk is part of the job description." Ryo said, rocketing skyward.   
"Okay, you heard Ryo. Let's go for it!" Rowen shouted. 

The other warriors charged the Draconai, meeting them halfway, only to be parried, shielded, and thrown around some more. Ryo on the other hand hovered over the odd Draconai firing on them. 

"Hey! You guys!" Ryo called to them. 

The soldiers lowered their cannons and looked at him puzzled. 

"What? You think I meant the OTHER Mononoke Hime rejects? I dare you to hit me. I just dare ya!" Ryo said. 

Several of the soldiers trained their weapons on Ryo while the others kept locked on Sai, who had called upon his Sandrock Shield for protection. 

"Hit me with your best shot!" Ryo taunted. 

Their commander gave the order to fire, and energy bolts flew at Ryo, who easily dodged them with Wing Zero's excellent maneuverability. 

"Whoa, these guys mean business." Ryo said as he dodged another salvo. "Is that the best you can do?" 

The group responded with another Salvo, which Ryo skillfully avoided. 

"Ha! I've seen humans with better aim than that!" Ryo shouted. "Nya nya nya nyah nyah! You can't hit me!" Ryo said, dodging attack after attack, slowly but surely charging up his cannon to wipe them out. 

"Say goodnight boys..." Ryo said, not seeing the two shots headed straight for him! He managed to clear the first one, but the second hit one of his vernier wings, causing him to loose control and spiral downward! 

"NOOOOOO!!!!!" Ryo shouted. 

Sai tried to go help, but the other troops fired on him again. If he was not there he could not help Anubis. The other Ronins were engaged in combat. Suddenly inches before the ground a platinum blur swept through and grabbed Ryo, catching him in mid-air! It swooped around and landed on the ground in front of Sai. The soldiers then fired at it, but it blocked several from its fan shield, opened its sword and knocked the others back at the Ishibiya troops, sending them running. 

"Navcase! Am I glad to see you!" Ryo said. 

Navcase stood there and sheathed his weapon, and did nothing. The soldiers charged him, but always came within inches of striking him. The other Ronins watched in curiosity. Realizing that they may not have another chance, Kale fired up his beam sword and slashed one clean down the middle, killing it instantly. Anubis managed to get up enough to fire off his buster shield, running one through and then slamming it into the wall with spine shattering crunch before returning to his arm. One charged Ryo, but he blocked with a normal sword and slashed with the beam sword, taking down yet another, before another slashed and scratched his armor. Despite the damage to his wing he riddled the soldier with bullets from his machine and wing vulcan cannons, causing him to fall back, before twirling around John Woo style, aiming his cannon and firing a normal beam rifle shot, blasting a hole through his chest and causing him to fall down dead. 

"Hey, thanks for the assist Navcase..." Ryo said, heading over to thank him. "You really saved our..." 

Navcase was not as welcoming. 

"You should leave now before it's too late. In the condition you're in, you wouldn't last five seconds against Ceiphied's entire force." Navcase explained harshly.   
"Hey, we've done pretty good so far." Kento said.   
"Pretty good doesn't apply to the Draconai. Ceiphied is powerful and cunning. He's only shown you a fraction of his forces. It is taught very early on that one must know their enemy better than they know thyself. You have no idea what you're up against Ronin Warriors. No matter how hard you try, you will never defeat the Draconai if you continue along this path...there is far more to the Draconai than you could imagine." 

Navcase turned away and began to walk off, before Anubis stopped him. 

"Wait, how do you know all this?" he asked.   
"All will be revealed in time..." Navcase said elusively.   
"You said that before. When are you going to stop beating around the bush and..." Anubis started to say. 

Navcase reached out with his hands and hoisted him into the air. His eyes were glowing now. 

"I explained to you, there is more to this ancient race of Dragons than you could ever learn. How and why I know is not your concern. THEY ARE MY PROBLEM, NOT YOURS. IF YOU CONTINUE TO FIGHT THEM AS YOU HAVE, YOU WILL ONLY DO MORE HARM TO YOURSELVES THAN GOOD TO OTHERS." Navcase said, throwing Anubis down onto the ground. He ran off, with the Ronins trying to follow him, before taking off into the air with his wings. 

A menacing series of laughs were heard. 

"The escapee speaks the truth. You are no match for us." Kouen said.   
"Who the hell are you guys?" Ryo asked, ready for action.   
"We are Ceiphied's five best warriors, the Draconai Elite, leaders of our respective clans. I am Gekidoku, Master of Acids and Poisons." 

The warrior next to him spoke next. 

"I am Koureha, Master of Ice." 

The warrior next to him spoke. 

"I am Rakurai, the Master of Lightning." 

A warrior dressed to represent stone spoke next. 

"I am Gentassai, the Master of Boulders."   
"And I am Kouen, their Leader and the Lord of the Flame. Learn our names well Ronins...They shall be the last names you ever hear!" 

The Elite laughed evilly before flying off as quickly as they appeared. 

"The armor is becoming more dangerous the more I wear it...I must survive long enough to tell the Ronins what I know...for now, I can only be their occasional ally." Navcase thought to himself. "This Kinjiro...I might need his help sooner than I think." He grasped the pendant around his neck and remembered what Ayame had said to him. "She is right. I must have faith in myself and hope that I can succeed where thousands have failed." Navcase said to himself as he flew off into the distance. 

_Back at the base...___

The evil Lord of the Draconai sat pensively on his throne, pondering his next move. He got up from it as Gekidoku entered the room. 

"Gekidoku, I have a job suited to your particular talents; I want you to capture the one called Ryo of the Wildfire. He is strong, powerful, and has great potential. Turned against his allies, nothing will stop me from achieving my goals."   
"As you wish, sire." Gekidoku said, kowtowing before leaving. 

**To be Continued...**

(ED: AUDIENCE BY AYUMI HAMASAKI) 

NEXT EPISODE 

ANUBIS: Anubis here, In our next episode we face the first of the Draconai Elite, Gekidoku. His means of attack is spitting acid. 

SEKHMET: However, Ryo's armor is weak against the poisons of the world. Can his Wing Zero armor stand up to this new threat, or have we finally met our match? 

ANUBIS: It's the next episode of Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Code of the Warrior. Don't miss it!   
  
  
  
****


	3. Code of the Warrior

Rwdrw3

(OP SURREAL BY AYUMI HAMASAKI) 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 3: Code of the Warrior**   


  


"I can't believe how horrible we're doing against these guys!" Kento said, slamming his fist into the table.   
"Relax Kento. We've only been fighting them for a short time, we'll figure out what to do eventually." Sai said.   
"So optimistic are you?" Kento said. "We've faced far more and we've beaten them easily!"   
"Yes Kento, but remember; all our former opponents thought spandex was a fashion statement." Sage joked.   
"Besides, these warriors are about as bad as Drakka was when we fought him. And we didn't have these high-tech suits of armor when we fought him." Rowen reminded him.   
"Rowen is right. These enemies are significantly harder than any of our previous adversaries. It may take time before we figure out their weakness."   
"'It may take time before we figure out their weakness'" Kento said, imiating Anubis. "Well I know who knows their weakness, but isn't talking. NAVCASE!"   
"Leave him alone. He has his reasons for not telling us." Dais said.   
"Well, if he doesn't, we're all DEAD!" Kento said.   
"Guys, sorry to disturb you, but you might want to come see this." Mia said from the next room. 

The nine heroes got up from their seats and headed into the living room to watch what was going on on TV. 

"Several people were rushed to the hospital early today after recieving burns from what eyewitnesses described as acid. They reported seeing a strange walking reptile near the waterfront demanding that the Ronin Warriors be brought to him at once. Citizens of Toyama are advised to stay away from this area." 

"What do we do now Ryo?" Rowen asked. 

Ryo thought long and hard. This new opponent had been giving them problems. They had scraped by their first two encounters with the Draconai; the first they won by luck and the second by Navcase's assistance. He did not know why they became so disoriented when Navcase appeared. He knew there was some secret to defeating them...he just did not know what it was. Furthermore, how had Anubis protected the Ronins from that head on blast? Something was definitely going on. And then there was the voice he heard in his head. Tsubasa no Hi...what was that supposed to mean? 

"Ryo? What are we going to do?" Anubis asked.   
"This guy wants us...so that's what we'll give him. Let's go." Ryo said. 

The nine Ronins summoned their mighty Mecha Armor and flew off to the docks to deal with their latest problem.   
Upon their arrival they came face to face with one of Ceiphied's Elite. As they had noticed before, his armor was cast and sculpted to look like it was dripping with acid. 

"Greetings Ronins. I am the one called Gekidoku. Learn it well, for it will be the last name you hear."   
"Bring it on!" Kento shouted, charging blindly, his staff ready for action. 

Igniting the blade on the tip, he slashed down, but Gekidoku dodged and backhanded Kento, knocking him away. He then took a deep breath, and spit out a blast of acid, which Kento managed to block with his shield, melting it a little. 

"Poison is my specialty." Sekhmet said. "I shall deal with this warrior." he said. 

Sekhmet drew his swords and charged. He swung at Gekidoku, who blocked with his claws time and time again. He spun around and nailed Sekhmet with a roundhouse kick, knocking him back as well. He called upon his breath weapon, nailing Sekhmet, but it did not damage his armor at all. 

"I should have warned you. I am the Warlord of Venom." Sekhmet said triumphantly. 

Gekidoku roared and fired a Chi bolt at Sekhmet, sending him slamming into a building on the pier. 

"And I should have warned you, I can use Chi attacks like my younger bretheren." 

He held his hands at his sides and opened fire Vegeta style, pummelling the Ronins, causing them to fall backward and look for places to hide. Sai and Kento held up their shields, but they were melting fast. 

"What the?" Sai wondered.   
"This is strange..." Anubis noticed as with every hit his armor was also damaged.   
"What's going on?" Dais wondered.   
"I also should have warned you. My curiass allows me to pump poison through my Chi blasts, harming you, but not as bad as my breath weapon does." 

The Ronins charged him one after another, each one being knocked back, and slammed into something one way or another. 

"Perhaps we should switch our strategy and use our other armors." Anubis said, his armor slowly melting.   
"No. We wouldn't be standing if it wasn't for these things on us." Ryo said.   
"Pathetic. Completely pathetic. Is that the best you can do? I've fought demons that put up more of a fight than you nine." Gekidoku taunted. "Besides, I'm only interested in Wildfire."   
"If you want me..." Ryo said, charging at him and leaping into the air, "YOU'VE GOT ME!!!" 

With a double kick to the face, Ryo knocked Gekidoku to the ground, and as he got up, he swung with his left sword, but Gekidoku parried, swung it down and slashed his armor with his claw. Ryo knocked him away with his machinecannons, before retracting them and whacking him with his shield, sending him flying backward. Before he made contact with the water, he spread his wings and hovered in the air. 

"You're mine Wildfire." he said, taking a deep breath.   
"RYO LOOK OUT!!!" Anubis shouted. 

As Anubis dove for Ryo, the blast hit Ryo, causing him to scream in pain as his armor took more than the usual blow. Weakened by the attack, Gekidoku began to attack Ryo relentlessly, each blow sending Ryo reeling. He charged up for a blast, Anubis tried to get in the way to take it for Ryo, but he knocked Anubis aside, nailing Ryo head on. He charged up and uppercutted Ryo, sending him crashing into the ground. 

"We've got to help Ryo!" Kento shouted.   
"He can't stop all of us!" Kale shouted. 

Everyone brandished their weapons and went through their katas. 

"Iron Rock Crusher!"   
"Arrow Shock Wave!"   
"Super Wave Smasher!"   
"Black Lightning Slash!"   
"Snake...Fang...Striiiiiiiiiiike!"   
"Web of Deception!" 

The attacks lashed out at Gekidoku, but he put up his AT Field, and blocked all of them. 

"Fools." he said, aiming his hand at the group and firing, knocking them out. Now only Anubis and Ryo stood between him and victory. 

Gekidoku walked over to Ryo, who was still trying to get up despite his weakness. Gekidoku grabbed him with his strength and lifted him up. 

"You're mine Wildfire. Ceiphied will be pleased to have you in his ranks. Any last words?" Gekidoku asked.   
"Yeah!" Ryo said, kicking him in the groin area and then grabbing on to him with the last of his strength, "YOROIJETS, MAXIMUM BURN!!!!" 

With that Ryo rocketed skyward. 

"What is he up to?" Anubis wondered. Then he realized. "Oh dear, he wouldn't...DAMN!" 

Anubis fired his own thrusters up and rocketed skyward after Ryo, who was climbing faster and faster. 

"Ryo! You're going too high! The air's too thin! Even you'll suffocate without your faceplate on!" Anubis shouted as he got closer and closer.   
"Anubis, get away from here! Now!" Ryo shouted.   
"I've got to! I can't let him win!" Ryo shouted.   
"Ryo, this is suicide! I won't let you do this!" Anubis shouted, aiming his buster shield at Gekidoku. "I've almost got a shot..."   
"No Anubis! You might miss!" Ryo shouted. "Now get out of here before you get hit too!"   
"No Ryo! Not that!" Anubis pleaded. "Please! I beg of you!"   
"I have no choice. A samurai gives his life so that others may live." Ryo said.   
"RYO PLEASE!!!! STOP THIS MADNESS!!!!" Anubis pleaded again.   
"Take the buster rifle, you're in charge now!" Ryo said, disconnecting the weapon and dropping it into Anubis' hands.   
"No Ryo! Don't do this! I can't accept this responsibility!" Anubis shouted back.   
"Like it or not, you're in charge now! Okay Gekidoku, GIVE MY REGARDS TO YOUR FORMER MASTER!!!!" Ryo shouted, engaging the self detonate. 

_(A Parting Eternal kicks up)_

Anubis continued to scream for Ryo to stop his suicide attempt, as the timer slowly counted down. Nothing could be heard. Ryo closed his eyes, waiting for the end to arrive. Gekidoku laughed evilly, Anubis screamed, tears streaming, for Ryo to stop. But now it was too late. 

Ryo's armor exploded in a enormous display of Pyrotechnics, causing Gekidoku to fall to the ground enflamed. The other Ronins and Anubis shielded their eyes from the attack. 

Gekidoku landed with a thud, just as a saddened Anubis landed. Tears were streaming from his eyes. Gekidoku slowly struggled to his feet. 

"No...NO!!!!!!" Anubis shouted. "HOW COULD YOU HAVE SURVIVED!!!! AAAAAAAH!!!!" Anubis screamed, charging with his blade lit. Gekidoku spread his wings, and went airborne, with Anubis barely scratching him with the blade. 

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Anubis screamed, so loud the heavens could probably hear. The other Ronins got up, and walked over to him, weakly, while Anubis stood there, standing contemplatively over the buster rifle. Ryo's last words to him echoed through his thoughts.   
"Is he...?" Kento asked solemnly. 

Anubis nodded. Kento began to swear every profane word he knew. Every one of the Ronins began crying. Even the other Warlords, strong as they were, were unable to hold back their tears. 

"Goodbye...Ryo." Rowen said sadly.   
"You fought well...Wildfire." Dais added. 

Ryo's charred helmet then fell to the ground. Rowen walked over slowly and gathered it up. The others said their solemn goodbyes and headed back to Mia's...to tell her the bad news. 

"Hey guys, why so sad?" she asked. Then she seemed to understand. "What happened?" Mia asked. 

Rowen stepped into the room, and showed her the helmet. Mia's eyes filled with tears, and she burst out crying. Yuli came in, and saw what remained of Ryo, and he ran to Mia and cried as well. 

"It's my fault...it's all my fault!" Anubis shouted.   
"Anubis, it's not your fault." Sai tried to explain.   
"YES IT IS!!!! If I...If I had just been a little faster...I could have saved him...WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A FOOL?" Anubis screamed.   
"Anubis, calm down." Sage said. 

Anubis stormed off to his room. 

The Forgotten Souls came in and also learned the sad news. Placing Ryo's helmet on a makeshift funeral pyre, they burned it as the others flew over in the Missing Man Formation, saluting their brave ally. 

Anubis was not there to watch. Staring out the window towards the docks, he whispered, "It's all my fault..." 

Standing on a building near the scene, Navcase surveyed the situation. "Well done, Ryo of the Wildfire. You are truly a Samurai. Farewell..." Navcase said before flying off. 

A knock came on the door of the lab to Osaki Industries. It had begun to pour out. Kinjiro opened the door to find Navcase standing there. 

"Navcase..." Kinjiro said.   
"Yes. It is I. I do not have much time. Ryo has been killed. And I fear the others may die as well if my armor is not brought up to date."   
"Wait, who sent you here?" Kinjiro said. "I'll call security..." 

Navcase removed his robes, and Kinjiro put the reciever down and gasped as he saw the effects of the curse. 

"As you can see, the curse is spreading faster. The Ronins need my help, but my armor is far too outdated. I heard that you made their Mecha Armors and that of the She-Ronins, is that correct?" Navcase said.   
"Yes, it is. I was a part of that. But I don't know about your armor. I'll see what I can do." Kinjiro said.   
"Hurry. It will not be long until I am one of them..." Navcase said.   


  


**To be Continued...**   


  


(A Parting Eternal continues still) 

Next Episode

AYAME: Hey everyone, it's me, Ayame. Next time, Ryo comes to stay with us at the Palace, since he's kinda...well dead. Don't tell my twin sister though! Navcase goes out in his new and improved armor to help the Ronins fight the newest member of the Elite, but their biggest threat right now is...Anubis? Join us again in Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Demon of Cruelty. ::Yawn:: I'm tired...see ya next time!   



	4. Demon of Cruelty

Rwdrw4 From within his enormous throne room, the evil Lord Ceiphied sat, contemplating. So far, his efforts to reduce the Earth to nothing were going well. Sure, there had been a few casualties here and there, but nothing enough for him to give up completely. His current foes, calling themselves the Ronin Warriors, proved to be as weak to him as the Armor of Darkness they were spawned from, that of the one called Talpa. The interesting times had changed their form to something very different, but he was not afraid. He knew no fear of these teenagers...and he had several centuries of experience that they lacked to aid him. 

His thoughts were interrupted as one of his soldiers informed him that Gekidoku had returned. 

"Send him in immediately." Ceiphied said. 

The chamber doors opened and Gekidoku stumbled in, weak and injured. His body was riddled with more scars than Gene Starwind, no thanks to Ryo's sacrificial self-detonate and the long scar down his back from Anubis' desperation strike. He slowly walked towards his master and kowtowed. 

"Where is Wildfire?" Ceiphied asked calmly.   
"Master...he blew himself up. I weakened him severely and then he tricked me...he was completely vaporized." Gekidoku explained.   
"I am disappointed. I told you to bring him back alive." Ceiphied said, starting to rise from his throne.   
"I shall try again master...I can bring you the one called Anubis, he in my opinion would be a fine consolation..." 

Before Gekidoku could finish Ceiphied whacked him across the face, sending him reeling backward. 

"When I want your opinion I shall ask for it! But if you say that this Anubis will be a good catch, then I suggest you go bring him to me. But first, we need to repair your armor." Ceiphied said. 

Gekidoku removed the heavy cuirass that he as an Elite was privileged to wear. Several of Ceiphied's attendants took it off to be repaired. 

"Thank you Lord Ceiphied, for giving me another chance." Gekidoku said. 

Suddenly Ceiphied thrust his fist into Gekidoku's chest, and ripped out his energist, causing Gekidoku to scream in pain! 

"What are you doing master...?" Gekidoku said as he began to bleed.   
"It's quite simple really. You failed me, just as the previous Gekidoku failed to stop Navcase those eons ago. And you know quite well the punishment for failure." 

Smashing Gekidoku's energist in one hand, the warrior attempted to run for cover. Ceiphied began gathering his energy and his eyes glowed with energy. His body began to change slightly. He glowed white and the light reshaped itself into an enormous snake-like dragon. His mouth shot out like a snake's, grabbing onto Gekidoku. 

The base resounded with the crunching of bone, evil bestial roaring and screams of excruciating pain.   


  


(OP: SURREAL by AYUMI HAMASAKI) 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 4: Demon of Cruelty**

Back at the mansion, the mood was not much different. The heroes were still sad over the death of Ryo. They had calmed down some, but not by much. They had a very hard task before them; who was going to lead now that Ryo was gone. 

"Well...since Ryo gave the rifle to Anubis, it must mean that he wants him to lead." Sai said.   
"I don't think we should bother him right now...he's taking this pretty hard." Mia said. 

It was true. Ever since Ryo's sacrifice the previous night, Anubis had basically disappeared. He had not come downstairs in the morning, and anyone who knocked on his door could have been killed within a matter of seconds. One way or another, Anubis had made it perfectly clear that he did not want to be disturbed. 

"No offense meant to Anubis, but I think that Rowen should lead. In his current condition, Anubis is too dangerous to lead the team." Dais said.   
"TOO DANGEROUS?" a voice said from the bottom of the stairs. 

The group whirled around to find Anubis standing there, still crying. 

"TOO DANGEROUS AM I, TO LEAD THE TEAM? THIS COMING FROM THE ONE WARLORD WHO ACTUALLY SUPPORTS ME!!!!" Anubis shouted.   
"Anubis, I didn't mean it that way..." Dais started to say.   
"AND WHERE WERE YOU WHEN RYO DIED? WHY DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING TO HELP, LEAVING ME TO BE THE SOLE THING STANDING BETWEEN HIM AND DEATH! IF YOU HAD HELPED, HE MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE!" Anubis shouted, storming up stairs. 

They heard footsteps in the hall, and heard a door slam. 

"So, anyone else opposed to Anubis NOT leading?" Sage joked. 

The others looked at him angrily. 

"I know I know..." Sage said. "I miss Ryo too."   
"What about what Rowen thinks?" Sai asked. "Rowen, do you think you can do it?"   
"I don't know...Ryo threw the rifle to Anubis, meaning that's who he wanted to take over for him. I don't want to go against Ryo's decision." Rowen said.   
"I nominate Rowen as well." Kale began. "He is wise and has saved us on several occasions. I say he should lead us until Anubis is fit to lead." he finished, making sure that Anubis could not hear the last part.   
"Yeah, Rowen should be in charge until Anubis has calmed down or Ryo somehow comes back to life." Kento said. 

All eyes were on Sekhmet. 

"What? That Red-Topped Kid has lost his mind. Rowen should lead." Sekhmet said.   
"Okay, it's settled. Rowen's in charge until Anubis regains his senses." Mia said. 

Rowen took the twin buster rifle in hand. It seemed heavier than it did usually. Perhaps due to the exceptional weight that was now on his shoulders. He had to be the leader. The others were counting on him to lead them to victory. He wished it was not Ryo he had to live up to. Ryo was his friend; Ryo led the Ronins well. Could he live up to him? 

"Okay, here's the plan guys." Rowen said. "We go find these draconian bastards and put a stop to them...it's what Ryo would want us to do."   
"What? So soon?" Kento asked.   
"Hardrock, you are forgetting the twin laws of revenge: Ensure it never happens again...after you make whomever caused your pain suffer eternally for what they did." Dais explained. 

With that the remaining heroes save Anubis headed out in search of the Draconai. 

Up in his room, Anubis was asleep, tossing and turning. He appeared to be having some sort of nightmare. His armor was standing up near his bed, watching over him like some sort of sentinel. Suddenly its eyes glowed and it began to slowly step towards Anubis. 

"Where am I? Am I still in Toyama?" Anubis wondered. 

Taking a look around, Anubis noticed he was at the docks where Ryo had perished. He looked over to see Gekidoku charging at Ryo, who was dripping, sparking, and weak. 

"NOT AGAIN!!! RYO!!!! I'M COMING!!!!" he shouted, running in almost slow motion towards Ryo once again. Anubis saw himself also running after Ryo to try and save him. He watched as the memory replayed in his mind; Ryo going skyward...Ryo throwing the Buster Rifle to him...Ryo exploding and himself being knocked backward. 

"NO!!!!!" Anubis screamed, watching the horror once again, closing his eyes so that he would not have watch this horrible replay. Even through his closed eyes he saw an incredible light, he opened them to see Ryo. He appeared to be glowing, and he had wings that seemed to erupt with flame. He beckoned to Anubis to follow him down a dark corridor. 

Anubis could not believe the light. Since when did Ryo become an angel? He did not have the halo, or any other characteristics that would set him off, except for the wings of course. They were glowing with flame...no, wait, they WERE pure flame! Anubis reached out to touch them. As his hands got close to them, there was heat as he expected. When he actually made contact, he pulled his hand back quickly! HOT!!!! VERY HOT!!!! Ryo seemed to have a purple aura around him like the ones the Saiyans had when they went Super Saiya-jin. He could not figure out why Ryo suddenly had an aura, nor why it was purple. 

As the two got closer and closer to the end of the corridor, Anubis could make something out. It appeared to be an armor of some sort. It had evil looking shoulder guards, batlike wings, and was holding a large scythe. The corridor began to rumble as Anubis got closer. When he was almost there, Ryo vanished and the corridor disappeared into white space, with a huge evil looking bat-winged demon standing over him, reaching out for him. But a large machine appeared from behind Anubis, it looked somewhat like his old armor except it had a shield-like cloak and a twin scythe. The two things went at it. The machine seemed to have the upper hand as it pushed back the demon, but soon the demon got dominion and knocked the machine down, picking up Anubis. The machine recovered and also grabbed Anubis, trying to pull him back, but the demon fought hard. It pulled him free of the machine, threw him into the air and swallowed Anubis, kicking and screaming until he woke up. 

"HOW DID I GET UP HERE?" Anubis wondered. 

From what Anubis could gather, he was hovering in mid-air, wearing some sort of strange new armor! It was like the one in his dream, only now he was wearing it! Looking down below, he saw several people being harassed by what looked like Draconai! Anubis dove down to investigate. 

"Ha ha! These humans are tasty creatures!" one of the Draconai said. 

Their victims, which happened to be Japanese schoolgirls, screamed and huddled in terror against a wall. 

"Let us dine..." the other Draconai said.   
"I beg to differ." Anubis said. 

He punched one of them, slamming it into the opposite wall of the alley. As it got up, he roundhoused it, sending it flying even farther. As he got up and charged, Anubis uppercutted it away, sending it flying back. The other fired, but Anubis' shields descended, protecting him from harm. 

"My turn. Head Vulcans, command line. Maximum firepower." 

Anubis opened fire, riddling the opponent with hundreds of bullets, but he still survived. He looked over and saw the other one coming from the opposite direction. The wings opened up and his thrusters kicked in as he rocketed skyward, causing the two to crash into each other. As they got up, angry, Anubis descended and once again closed his wing shield. As they approached, he grabbed them both and threw them like missiles into a wall, which they pried themselves free of before going for Anubis again. Reaching around back, he found an object which to his surprise extended into a twin beam scythe. He slashed at one, cutting him in half, then grabbed the other one and slammed him into the wall with his left arm. 

"WHERE ARE THE RONINS!!!" Anubis shouted, angrily.   
"I..I'm not sure..." 

Anubis shoved harder. 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU'RE NOT SURE?" Anubis shouted again.   
"They might be looking for us...the master sent Koureha out to destroy them..."   
"WHERE IS KOUREHA NOW?" Anubis shouted.   
"Th...that...way." the soldier said, pointing in that direction. 

Anubis dropped him and began to walk away. After heading a few feet, he stopped. 

"Oh, don't go anywhere. I'm not finished with you yet." 

Anubis aimed his buster shield and let it fly, slamming the soldier into the back wall, smashing his spine, before igniting the energy blade, killing him. Anubis held out his arm, and the weapon flew back and reattached itself. He then turned to the still frightened students, who seemed more terrified of him than they were of the Draconai. 

"Go home." Anubis said sternly. The girls nodded and ran off. 

Anubis then rocketed into the air, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. 

"Why was I so aggressive against those soldiers? That is unlike me or my usual style. What is wrong with me? When did I become so angry and destructive?" 

Through his mind, a thought rang out. "You must destroy all the Draconai...it is the only way Ryo will be avenged..." 

Anubis smiled evilly and took off towards Koureha's location. 

_Meanwhile..._

"SANADA!!!!!!!!!" A voice rang out. 

Ryo snapped to attention. 

"SANADA RYO!!!!" the voice shouted again.   
"That's me! I'm coming!" Ryo said.   
"GOOD. It's about time you heard me." a voice said. 

Ryo looked up. He appeared to be standing before a gigantic desk, which seemed to be seating a large gentleman who had horns. 

"Now, Sanada-san. It says here that you died fighting the Draconai through self-sacrifice, is that correct?" the large gentleman shouted.   
"Yes. May I ask who you are?" Ryo said.   
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM? I AM KING YAMA, AND THIS IS MY CHECK-IN STATION! EVERYONE WHO DIES IN THE MORTAL REALM COMES HERE WHEN THEY DIE, SO THAT I CAN TELL THEM WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO GO. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE THREE GUYS," 

King Yama pointed to three gentleman. One wore glasses and wore a yellow business suit. The second had red hair and was dressed somewhere between casual and business and wore red sunglasses. The third had blue hair and an eyepatch. 

"ARE BY ORDER OF LORD DESTONUS TO GO STRAIGHT TO HELL!" King Yama boomed. 

The three men were dragged off by armed guards, and struggled to break free. 

"Oh, don't worry young man, you're not going there. According to this, you are to..."   
"Go down Snake Way for special training with King Kai?" Ryo asked.   
"NO!" King Yama boomed, causing Ryo to cower before him. "It says here that you are to report for special training at the Palace of the Heavens with Amaterasu and her five daughters. I have an express order from the Sun Goddess herself to send you off to her Palace immediately, and even if you wanted to train with King Kai, you couldn't. He's on sabbatical."   
"What?" Ryo asked, confused.   
"He's training with some completely lost girl named Izumi Maki, makes no sense, like him." King Yama explained. "Now off you go!" 

A large door opened up, which revealed clouds and a long flight of stairs which seemed to go on forever. 

"Now get going!" King Yama shouted. "You're holding up the line!" 

Ryo turned around and found several hundred people waiting in line after him. One of them appeared to be dressed colonially and aristocratic, another wore a strange hat and was with him. There was another there who was wearing blue armor and had long blonde hair, who was currently making out with a young woman with reddish purple hair. There was also a blue-haired man who was wearing a black cloak, who had a mechanical arm. There also appeared to be a very energetic man, who went on and on about some old anime show, from before Ryo's time. Nonetheless, the line was quite long. Ryo ran towards the stairs and began to slowly climb them. 

"By the way, did this guy named Shuki Levy come through here?" Ryo asked.   
"Yeah, he did. I found a really nice spot in hell for him. TAKATORI? TAKATORI REIJI?" King Yama shouted. 

Ryo sort of smiled and continued up the steps. 

_Meanwhile..._

Up at the Palace, in a meeting chamber, Kaosu paced impatiently. 

"I hope that Ryo gets here soon dear. We need an edge in this war." he said.   
"Yes. Sakura will be so happy to find out he's coming to visit." Amaterasu said. "Though I am worried for Anubis. He cannot face his destiny until his current problem is solved."   
"You mean the demon that possessed his armor." Kaosu said. 

Amaterasu nodded. 

"We must hope Ryo gets here soon, so we may teach him the proper way to kill those monsters." Kaosu said.   
"I hope the others can hold out until Ryo's training is complete..." Amaterasu said. 

_Back on Earth..._

"This guy is tough!" Kento said as the remaining warriors got to their feet and prepared to attack again.   
"We've got to be careful. We don't know what this Elite can do yet."   
"Ha ha ha Ronins. You are still quite weak. Perhaps I can give you some warriors, more your level of experience." 

Several warriors, whose clothing had no accent to it, split up and charged at the heroes, one going for each of them. 

The first one charged at Kento. He swiped his claws at Kento, but he blocked with his shield, before launching his dragon fang at him, slamming him into a wall and torching him to death. 

One headed for Rowen, who blocked with his staff again and again. He swiped again, but Rowen used his armor's wings to shield him before heading skyward and locking on overhead, transforming his weapon back into a bow. 

"This is too easy...ARROW SHOCKWAVE!!!!" he shouted. 

The blast shot from bow, slamming into the warrior, causing a huge explosion. When the dust cleared there was a small crater, but no Draconai. 

"Piece of cake." Rowen said. 

Sage was skillfully parrying off the unsuccessful attempts to hit him. When one missed, Sage took the advantage and rammed his sword into his chest, backflipping with the sword still in him, killing him. 

Sai had managed to get a hold of one of them, slamming him over his shoulder straight into the pavement. When he tried to get up, Sai stabbed him with the blade of his trident, and closed the claws on him, searing him with the heat his blades generated. He tossed him over his shoulder, where he was cleanly sliced and diced to death by Sekhmet and his many swords. One of them tried to go after Kale, but with two quick lashes from his heat rod, he knocked off his arms. Taking the hilt of his sword, he shoved it into the soldiers' chest, before extending the metal blade, impaling him. 

"Hey! You can't hit me!" a soldier shouted to Kale from 15 feet away. 

Kale ignited his beam saber and cranked the blade up a bit, and swung it at the still taunting moron, who was now sliced in two. There was now silence. Kale returned the blade to its normal length. 

Dais was having his own problems with another Draconai, whom he slammed into the ground repeatedly with his claw beam cannons. He kneeled down and extended the claws, suspending him in the air, then opening up the triple Megasonic gun, let the soldier have it before retracting back to normal length and closing it up. 

"So, you fools think that was easy. Now try me on for size." Koureha said.   
"I've got him!" Sekhmet shouted, charging at him with his swords ready to chop him up. Koureha fired, the blast nailing Sekhmet, and causing him to fall over like an ice sculpture, frozen solid. 

"I am Koureha, Ceiphied's master of Ice."   
"YOU'RE GOING DOWN IN RYO'S NAME!!! AHHH!!!" Sage shouted, charging at this warrior with his sword drawn.   
"No Sage!" Rowen shouted. 

Koureha fired a blast from both hands, at the ground before him. Sage slipped and slid right to his hands, before uppercutting him skyward, crash landing on top of Kale. 

"We should double team him." Sage said.   
"No, we can't, we need our other armor, and to summon that would be too dangerous." Kale explained.   
"I call upon the powers of cold and ice...let snow fall to cover my location!" Koureha shouted. 

Almost instantly, a snow flurry began over the area. 

"Everyone go to infrared. We'll find that bastard by his heat." Rowen said. 

The group slowly groped around in the snow for Koureha. Several blasts were fired. The second statue to be made was that of Sage. 

"Sage!" Rowen shouted as he dodged a blast meant for him, which hit Dais.   
"Where is this guy?" Kento wondered.   
"Maybe if we hit him the storm will end." Sai said.   
"Let's keep moving." Kale said. The next thing he knew he was also a statue.   
"Damn, where is this guy?" Kento shouted again. 

Suddenly through the flurry, Rowen spotted his heat signature. 

"Over there. Kento, I'm guessing where this guy likes to freeze people, he doesn't like heat too much. Toast him." Rowen said. 

Kento extended his dragon fang and let Koureha have it, breaking his concentration and causing the snow flurry to vanish. Slightly weakened, Kento let him have it again, causing Koureha to scream in pain. 

"Yeah! Take that!" Kento shouted, having fun with this.   
"Sai, use your heat shorters and see if you can thaw the others out while Kento keeps him busy." Rowen said.   
"Yeah, burn baby burn!" Kento shouted, keeping the flame going. But suddenly, it went out! 

Koureha was steaming mad. He began to growl angrily, still smoking from the repeated torchings. 

"Uh oh...Heheh...sorry?" Kento said. 

Koureha charged at him, furious. When Kento tried to grab him with the dragon fang, he used his ice beam breath on it, then punched it with his claw, causing it to shatter. He then went ballistic on Kento, knocking him all over the place, before going skyward and bombarding him with energy bolts Vegeta style, slowly but surely tearing away his armor plating. His shield was decimated in a short time, and next to go were his shoulder guards and torso plating. Kento brought out his beam glaive and charged at him while in mid air, but Koureha caught it with both hands, and tore it out of Kento's hands, crushing the beam mechanism with his brute strength and tossing the useless weapon away, then grabbing onto Kento, and making several consecutive loops in the air, then driving straight downward at incredible speed and dropping Kento like a bomb in a Seismic Toss. Kento started to get up, then fell unconscious. He then caught a glimpse of Sai, trying to thaw out his ice sculptures. He charged at the water warrior from a blind spot in his vision, but Sai barely caught it in time, grabbing him in his mancatcher and trying to burn him to a crisp with its heated blades. With his raw strength he pried himself free, and grabbed onto the weapon, and whirled Sai around 360 degrees horizontally before letting go of the weapon and causing him to slam into a wall. Before Sai could recover, he fired several Ice blasts that shackled him to the wall. He was about to finish him off, but then he spotted Rowen, taking a shot at him with his bow! He put up his AT Field to block, and prepared to backhand Rowen several feet, but his fist was stopped in midair! 

Rowen stood there, unsure of what was going on, as Koureha seemed to be punched by the air, only to skid across the still unmelted snow. As he got up, he was backhanded to the ground in a similar manner. Koureha then appeared to be grabbed by the throat, lifted skyward, and choke slammed into the ground. As he got up, gasping for air, a form appeared. Rowen gasped at the sight. It had a series of black panels which were closed around it like some sort of cloak. Its legs were the normal color of their Gundam armors. It simply looked evil. Then he heard a familiar voice. 

"I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO RYO!" Anubis shouted. 

As Koureha proceeded to swipe at Anubis, Anubis blocked with incredible speed. Anubis connected again and again, wailing on Koureha as he failed to parry or block any of Anubis' assault. He punched with one fist, and ran him through with his buster shield before slamming him back first into a wall at high speed. He retracted his weapon and it returned to him. He pulled him away from the wall and smashed him on his knee after opening up his wings. He then grabbed again with both hands, shot straight up into the air, spun him around and pile drived him into the ground. As he lay on the ground, badly injured, Anubis brought out his beam scythe and ignited the blade, driving the staff through the pavement with the blade sticking up. Rowen then watched in horror as he slowly strode over to Koureha, lifted him over his head, and slowly walked over to his scythe. Then he remembered...the buster rifle! Rowen pulled the weapon out and aimed it at Anubis' chest. 

"Those shield plates must protect his chest so he can't even get hurt there." Rowen thought. "Maybe if they're open I can do some damage with a normal shot from this thing." 

Rowen took aim, wondering if he should shoot. Anubis, after all, was their ally. But this was gruesome, even for Anubis. He had to be stopped. He had completely lost it. As Anubis went for his death by impalement, he was tackled by a blur of platinum, causing him to drop Koureha, was carried several feet and then dropped, while the thing that caused it looped over and landed in front of him. 

"Anubis, you've got to stop this. Go on home." Navcase said.   
"How dare you keep me from carrying out my justice!" Anubis roared, punching Navcase and sending him flying back. He then closed his cloak and vernier tackled Navcase, flying past his weapon, recovering it, and bringing out the blade, and charging at Navcase with a rocket powered slash which he blocked with his fan shield. He fired an emerald blast from his shoulders, knocking Anubis back, but did not stop him from charging again. Navcase brought out his sword and parried the weapon, knocking it and Anubis back. Anubis swung again, this time straight down, but Navcase dodged and whacked him in the back of the neck, taking him down quickly with Ryu Kan Sen. He sheathed his sword and stood over Anubis, who got to his feet. 

"You're all weaklings." Anubis said. "The way you're fighting, you'll never win. I refuse to work with such pathetic fools. I'm going solo." 

With that Anubis opened his cloak up, fired up his thrusters, and rocketed off into the distance. 

"Navcase, what did you do to your armor?" Rowen asked.   
"I went to see Kinjiro. Due to the way the armor was originally constructed, there was not much he could modify, but he was able to install vernier thrusters in the legs and microscopic ones on the shoulders and helmet to help me maneuver better in the air. He also managed to environmentally seal it."   
"But how are you able to use the armor?" Rowen asked.   
"I told you, that answer will come in time. Until then, we must meet like this." he said. 

Converting his cape back into his wings, he rocketed into the sky, heading off in the other direction. 

Just then, the ice around Kale melted, allowing him to get free. 

"Kale! How did you?" Rowen said.   
"I used my heat rod. The armor's air supply managed to keep me going long enough to use my heat rod to melt through the ice. Did I miss anything?" he asked.   
"Not much, Koureha got his ass kicked by Anubis, and now he's working alone. But it seems Navcase is on our side now." Rowen said.   
"Good. We should probably get Hariel. He's the only thing I can think of that can thaw them out." Kale suggested. 

Later, back at the mansion, Rowen recounted the fight between Koureha and Anubis, and Navcase's having to stop him. 

"That does not sound like Anubis." Dais said, attempting to warm up after being frozen solid.   
"Anubis always wants a glorious battle, killing them like that is not his style." Sekhmet said.   
"And just when we thought things were bad enough with the Draconai, now we've got to worry about when and where Anubis will strike." Sage added.   
"I told Hariel to see if he could track him using Dark Inferno's sensors, but we can't find him anywhere." Rowen said.   
"He must be using his hyperjammers to hide from us." Kale concluded. 

Rowen got up and started to pace the room. 

"Guys, we've already faced several of Ceiphied's warriors, two of his Elite, and every time we've just barely managed to scrape by. We need an overhaul." Rowen said.   
"Maybe we could combine both our armors and make ourselves even more powerful." Sai suggested.   
"Good idea. Dais, you work with Mia and see if there's any way to do that. In the meantime, I think it's time to pay Kinjiro a little visit." Rowen said.   
"Yeah. My armor needs it." Kento said.   
"Let's get some rest. We'll need it." 

_At Kinjiro's..._

"How did the modifications work?" Kinjiro asked as Navcase returned.   
"Excellent. Though Anubis seems to have changed as well, and is twice as dangerous as the Draconai. I'll have to keep an eye on him and hope this armor doesn't do anything more to speed up the curse."   
"I've been trying to research ways to slow or stop the curse, but I need more time." Kinjiro said. 

Navcase dismissed his armor and put the sword away. Looking at his body, he found that part of his chest had become scaled. 

"Damn...it's worse than I thought." Navcase swore.   
"According to the information you gave me, that's where the curse begins normally. The armor's influence must have only cursed you remotely, but I am not sure why it has been this long before your chest was affected. Has Ceiphied ever cursed anyone else the way he cursed you?" Kinjiro asked.   
"Not that I know of. I do not recall him mentioning any other conditions. You can try searching, but I warn you; there is not much information on the Draconai here on Earth." Navcase explained.   
"I'll send Ayame an e-mail. Maybe Amaterasu has something." Kinjiro said.   
"Does she have long black hair, purple eyes, and like to sleep frequently?" Navcase asked, curiously.   
"That's her. Why do you ask?"   
"I've been communicating with her telepathically. Astral projection is one of the things Draconai are capable of, as the energist I was given with the curse was that of a true blood."   
"You should rest now. I'll see what I can do." Kinjiro said.   
"Thank you for all you've done for me."   
"Glad to be of service." Kinjiro said. 

Elsewhere in Ceiphied's fortress, a ceremony had just been completed. A Draconai had stepped forward and presented with the armor. 

"Let this armor signify that this Draconai Soldier has become the head of the Poison Clan and the newest Member of the Draconai Elite." Ceiphied said. "Arise...Gekidoku. May you serve me better than your predecessor." 

The new Gekidoku rose as the other Draconai cheered. Ceiphied simply smiled evilly. 

Atop a building near the base, Anubis was still contemplating his actions. 

"What drove me to do that? Something is wrong...I'm not sure what. I feel like something is guiding my actions, but I do not know why..." 

His thoughts were cut off by another thought to destroy once again. He looked towards the fortress. 

"Soon Ceiphied...Soon I will have my revenge..."   


  


**To Be Continued...**

(ED: AUDIENCE BY AYUMI HAMASAKI)   


  


**Next Episode**

SAI: Hello, everyone, it's me, Sai. Next time, after a narrow victory against the latest member of the Draconai Elite, the rest of us go see Kinjiro to see if he can help. When we find ourselves pitted against an enraged Anubis, will our slight improvements be enough to stop him? 

RAN: Oh yeah, I've got some great news everyone! Next time, Ryo finally shows up! I'm sure Sakura will be happy, but don't tell her I said anything, okay? I gotta go to bed Sai, can you finish it off?   


SAI: Of course. Join us next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath, Free Agent of Death. See you then!   



	5. Free Agent of Death

Rwdrw5 "TAKE COVER!!!" Rowen shouted as he and the other members of the team dodged a lighting bolt that had just crashed down. Looking over to the left, they spotted the sender.   
"Very good Ronins, we've established that you can dodge my lightning bolts. But how long, is still unknown!" Rakurai stated. 

Pointing at the heroes again, the sky rumbled as yet another bolt of lightning came crashing down on them. The remaining heroes scattered as the bolt crashed very close to them. 

"I don't like this guy..." Kale said.   
"Neither do we. We've got to take him out, and fast before he shocks us all." Rowen said.   
"I'll see what I can do." Sage said. 

Bringing out his sword of Halo, he proceeded to taunt the Draconai Elite to fire on him. 

"Oh Rakurai? Bet you can't hit me!" he shouted.   
"Try this one, Halo." Rakurai said, sending a bolt flying directly at him. 

Sage quickly raised his sword to the sky, turning it into a lightning rod, absorbing the attack. 

"What the?..." Rakurai gasped.   
"It worked for Miaka...it'll work for me!" he thought. "Here's my thunder of Judgment!" Sage shouted, whipping the blade downward, sending the electrical energy flying back at Rakurai. It sent him reeling. 

"Whoa...that's weird." Sage thought.   
"How could you have..." Rakurai shouted. "DIE!!!!" 

Raising his hands to the sky, he called down hundreds of lighting bolts that crashed one after another. The Ronins desperately tried to avoid them, or at least find something to protect themselves from the voltage. 

"We've got to find a way to ground ourselves!" Sai shouted.   
"No kidding. As far as we know, Sage is the only one who can hurt him!" Sekhmet added. 

Rakurai and Sage began to go at it, with Sage knocking every bolt of lightning Rakurai fired back at him, hurting him again and again. 

"I have had enough of this!" Rakurai shouted, charging at Sage, going airborne and knocking him down with a jumpkick.   
"Now to take care of your allies!" He shouted, pointing at Kale.   
"Dear God, not again! Oh Amaterasu, Kaosu, demons, angels, Nether Spirits, anyone who's listening, can you please put an end to this..." 

Before Rakurai could finish his attack, he appeared to be punched backward, slamming into a wall! A form seemed to appear, and then took shape revealing itself to be...Anubis. 

"DIE!!!!!" he shouted.   
"Thank you..." Kale said, relieved it was not one of those episodes. 

Charging at Rakurai, he opened up grabbing him by his arms and slamming him into the side of a building. He then tossed him into the air and rocketed up with an uppercut that sent him flying clear across the street. As Rakurai began to get up Anubis lifted him up and suplexed him over his shoulder, before backhanding him down as he got up. He then flipped him over his shoulder and slammed him back first into the ground, before once again hurling him down the street after twirling him around. He opened his wings and charged at him, grabbing him by the neck, taking him straight up and then choke slamming him into the ground. Anubis landed blow after blow, slowly but surely wearing down the warrior. 

"Um, Rowen, mind explaining what's going on here?" Sage asked.   
"Anubis has completely lost his mind, and someone's gotta stop him." Rowen said. 

Rowen prepared once again to fire the Buster Rifle at Anubis to stop him before things got worse. But once again, he could not. Anubis, despite his current actions, was not like this. Glory in battle was his style, not ripping off pro wrestling. But still he trained his weapon on Anubis, hoping to every deity in existence he would not have to do this. 

Meanwhile, Anubis had taken the badly injured and weakened Rakurai, and left him standing in one spot. He rocketed into the air, and screaming a battle cry, unfolded his scythe and came crashing down...on Navcase's sword! 

"Anubis, this has to stop...NOW!!!" Navcase shouted, pushing Anubis back.   
"You should not interfere...they all must die!" Anubis roared, swinging his scythe to the ground, forcing Navcase to dodge.   
"Anubis, this isn't like you...you've got to get rid of that thing!" Navcase shouted back.   
"It gives me strength! Strength I never had! And they all will perish. One by one." Anubis said. 

Navcase fired an emerald blast, knocking the former Warlord back. 

"If you will not go down nicely...THEN I'LL HAVE TO KILL YOU!!!!" Navcase roared. 

His eyes glowed white and punched Anubis, sending him flying. Both these monstrous fighters clashed again and again as their weapons clanged against each other. They locked again, and Navcase pushed with all his might to keep the scythe away from him. Anubis took a glance from the corner of his eye, only to notice that Rakurai had begun to fly away. 

"DAMN YOU RUROUNI!!!! YOU LET HIM ESCAPE!" Anubis shouted. 

Navcase noticed a flash of energy, and for a second, Anubis looked not like he was wearing his new armor, but an ugly demon. He tried to shake it away, but the next thing he knew, Anubis had rocketed skyward, screaming angrily in pursuit of Rakurai. 

"Well, that was interesting. Thanks again Navcase." Rowen said.   
"No problem. He's more trouble than I thought..." 

Suddenly a great pain came over Navcase, causing him to fall to the ground! 

"Are you all right?" Rowen shouted.   
"I'll be fine..." Navcase said. But he knew what was happening, so it was not good. 

Navcase managed to get to his feet and fly off in the opposite direction, leaving the Ronins confused. 

"Let's go get Kento. We've got to find Kinjiro." Rowen said.   


  


(OP: SURREAL BY AYUMI HAMASAKI) 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 5: Free Agent of Death**   


  


The Ronins landed before a large building that loomed over them like a tower. Clearly written on the side in large letters were the words, "Osaki Industries." 

"This has to be the place." Rowen said.   
"Let's go inside." Kento said, his armor still badly damaged from the battle with Koureha. 

He was angry. Very angry. Because of the extensive damage to his armor Rowen had ruled that Kento stay with Mia until they got back. He hoped that Kinjiro could work a miracle and fix his armor. 

As they approached the building they were stopped by a guard. 

"Sorry, with the recent Draconai problem, no one gets in without Mr. Osaki's authorization."   
"We're the Ronin Warriors. We're here to see him." Rowen explained.   
"Yes, he's been expecting you. If you would please follow me." 

The guard opened the gate and the remaining heroes followed. Ryo's loss had been extremely tragic to the group. The fact that Anubis had gone completely insane left them even more distraught and vulnerable. Rowen hoped that he could be as good a leader as Ryo, but that was a great deal to live up to. In the time that they were not out taking down the Draconai, Dais was instructing him in the fine art of intrigue, but still, Rowen wanted the job as much as Anubis did; and now he was off on his own, as a one-man angel of death. The others had dealt with it quite well; perhaps their years of experience. But everyone agreed that things would be different with Ryo and Anubis. 

"Greetings Ronins. What can I do for you?" Kinjiro said.   
"You can start by fixing my armor..." Kento said rudely.   
"Kento! As you know, we've been having trouble with the Draconai. Is there any way you can help?" Rowen asked.   
"As you know I was the one who designed the Mecha Armors' mechanical systems. But everything else was Amaterasu's work. I'm not fully sure on how it works, but she said something about the armors improving themselves in times of great need." he explained.   
"Well, this is as good a time as any. SO WHY AREN'T THEY UPGRADING!!!!?" Kento shouted.   
"It's hard to say..." Kinjiro explained.   
"We're never going to defeat those things if our armors aren't upgraded, we've already lost Ryo, my armor's practically totaled, I guess I'll be next on the list..." Kento said. 

Just as Kento said the last words, his armor began to glow slightly. His beam glaive did as well. When it stopped glowing, it apparently had become a double edged staff! Next, the badly damaged shoulder guards were restructured, and the shield attached itself there! Next, a strange structure seemed to appear on his back, which appeared to be a pair of cannons on his backpack! His forearms glowed next, and expanded themselves, giving him, not one, but two dragon fangs! The torso armor also was repaired. The armor was now more green than it was before, but still retained the brown paint scheme. 

"You were saying, Kento?" Sai asked.   
"Now, THIS is what I'm talking about." Kento said.   
"What about the rest of us?" Sekhmet asked.   
"I'm not sure...I may be able to repair you, but it's up to your armors if they wish to improve upon themselves." Kinjiro explained.   
"Hopefully we'll be fine...for now." Rowen said.   
"I feel much better! Now let's test this new bad boy out on those things!" Kento exclaimed, dashing out of the facility.   
"Kento! Wait up!" Sage shouted, with the others not far behind. 

Shortly after the Ronins and former Warlords left, Navcase came stumbling in, very weak. 

"What happened?" Kinjiro asked, worried.   
"It's the curse..." Navcase said weakly. "It's starting to take full effect..." 

He opened his shirt to show that more of his chest had become scaled. 

"As much as I enjoy having a natural suit of armor...I have to find a way to stop this." Navcase explained.   
"What if you were to kill Ceiphied?" Kinjiro asked.   
"It might work, but trust me, I've fought him before...it'll take more than an updated Ryuujin to stop him. Plus, he's protected by hundreds upon thousands of minions..." Navcase said.   
"I had Ayame look into things about the Draconai, there doesn't seem to be any records of Ceiphied ever putting a delay on a curse like yours. What I can't seem to figure out is how you've resisted for so long." Kinjiro said.   
"If I knew that, then I'd be doing everything I could to enhance it." 

_Meanwhile..._

"I can't wait to test out this new and improved armor." Kento said as the group flew away from Kinjiro's lab. 

Suddenly, a loud angry roar was heard. 

"Wonder what that could be." Sai wondered. 

"RAKURAI!!!!!!!! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!!!!" came a voice. 

"Anubis." They all said in unison, and took off for that location. Upon their arrival, they found Anubis still trying to kill Rakurai when a group of 20 soldiers showed up to reinforce him. 

"We came as soon as you summoned us." one of the soldiers replied.   
"Interesting. It seems that these soldiers have the same accents to their clothing as Rakurai does..." Dais said.   
"Only one way to find out." Sage said. "THUNDER...BOLT...CUT!!!" he shouted, sending an energy bolt slamming into one of them. He screamed in pain, and then fell down.   
"Let's take these guys out!" Kento shouted, bringing up his new dual cannon, firing his cannon and taking down a Draconai with it. When two tried to surround him, he aimed his arms outward and extended his dragon fangs, impaling them before burning them to a crisp. As he brought his weapons back another came after him. Extending his staff, he slashed with one end, then the other, slicing another Draconai in half. 

"This new armor rocks!" Kento exclaimed.   
"Kento look out!" Sai shouted. 

A Draconai was attempting a jumpkick. Kento rammed his staff into his chest and slammed him into the ground, before pulling the blade out and decapitating him with the other end. Suddenly a lightning bolt hit him and he was knocked back! 

"I'm not finished with you yet..." Rakurai said.   
"NOR AM I FINISHED WITH YOU!!!!" Anubis shouted. 

Using a twirling uppercut with his scythe on one Draconai, driving another into the wall with his buster shield, and cutting still more down with his vulcan cannons, and slicing cleanly through still others, the hell-bent Anubis slowly cleared a path towards Rakurai. Rakurai raised his hand to the sky and aimed then at Anubis, shocking him with his best lightning bolt, but that only made Anubis angrier. 

"Guys, doesn't Anubis look a little weird?" Rowen said, pointing to their former ally. 

Indeed, it had happened again. Anubis looked more like a demon than his former alter ego. He roared in anger as he once again power punched Rakurai, sending him flying into a wall. 

"Guys, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't now the time when Navcase shows up and stops Anubis?" Kento asked. 

Rowen brought out the buster rifle and trained it on Anubis, once again hoping it would not come to that, while Anubis continued to toss Rakurai around like a rag doll. 

"It is time for this to end!" Anubis shouted, bringing back his buster shield arm, igniting the blade and then ramming it into Rakurai, before pulling it out, ramming his scythe through his chest and out through his head, killing him. Anubis then proceeded to go for the 4 remaining Draconai, who coordinated their attacks and used their combined Chi blasts to slam Anubis into the wall long enough to recover Rakurai's armor from his dead body and fly off. 

Anubis then plunged his hand into Rakurai's chest, ripping out his energist. 

"They will all die!" he shouted, crushing the object in his hand.   
"Anubis, you've got to get rid of that armor." Rowen said.   
"Yeah, it's making you crazy." Kento added.   
"Please Anubis, remove it before it's too late." Dais pleaded. 

Anubis began to laugh a little. He then began to laugh evilly and loudly. 

"Get rid of this armor? When it makes me strong enough to do what you fools cannot? Is that a joke?" Anubis asked.   
"Anubis, that armor is obviously corrupting you! Please, we implore you!" Kale added.   
"NEVER!!!" Anubis shouted, charging at his former comrades. 

Dais fired his claw beams out at Anubis, but he simply lifted him up and hurled him. Dais used them to get a grip on the ground, pull himself back, and get to his feet. He brought out his beam saber and charged at Anubis with it, but he blocked with his scythe blade. Dais tried to push him back, but Anubis was just too strong for him in his current state. 

"Give it up...you can't win!" Anubis said, pushing so hard that Dais fell over. Next Sekhmet charged at him and leapt on his back, desperately trying to take him down. Anubis reached over his shoulder and hurled Sekhmet at Kale, who was also preparing to attack, knocking them both out. Sai lunged at him with his weapon, but Anubis sidestepped before backhanding him to the ground. Kento also lunged at him with his staff, but when he swung the other end at him he blocked with his scythe. Kento withdrew slightly and fired his cannons, slightly damaging the heavy armor protecting his chest. Anubis reached back and punched Kento in the face, smashing his helmet and sending him flying and unconscious as well. Dais managed to get up and headed over to Rowen. 

"Rowen, we have no choice. Let him have it!" Dais shouted. 

Dais opened up his triple megasonic gun while Rowen aimed the buster rifle and the two let Anubis have it, managing to destroy two of the wing shields, the ones that protected his chest. Rowen tried to fire again, but he was out of power. He brought out his cannon and fired that instead, hitting Anubis squarely in the chest plate. 

"AAAAAH!!!!" Anubis screamed in pain. 

Guarding the damage, he then blasted off in the opposite direction. Rowen breathed a sigh of relief as Anubis retreated. 

"Let's get Hariel. We're going to need his help." Dais said.   
"What are we going to do about him?" Rowen asked.   
"Anubis took care of him, so he's destroyed. But we should probably bring him to Kinjiro to see what he can discover." Dais said.   
"Right. Let's get going." Rowen said. 

At Ceiphied's, there was great celebration as the new Rakurai was sworn in as a member of the Elite. 

"Congratulations. Perhaps you will be able to defeat those foolish Ronins where your predecessor failed. But you must get used to the new honor first. Gentassai!" Ceiphied said. 

A warrior who wore an armor that looked like stone stepped forward.   
  
"Yes Master Ceiphied."   
"You will challenge the Ronins next." Ceiphied said. 

Gentassai kowtowed to his master. 

"Thank you, my lord. I will not fail you." Gentassai vowed.   
"See that you do not." 

_Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city...___

"What is wrong with me? The Ronins are my friends, why did I attack them? What is wrong with me? Dais is correct, something is not right about this armor, but what? 

Suddenly, the damage Rowen had done when he blasted his chest plate closed up as if it was never there. Then the wing plates regrew exactly, returning his armor to 100% status. 

"What am I becoming?" Anubis wondered. 

_Up in the Heavens...___

"Too...many...damn...stairs..." Ryo said as he continued to climb the accursed staircase. 

For what seemed like an eternity, Ryo had been ascending this stairway to heaven. He hoped it was worth it. After all, Sakura was the at the end of this thing, he hoped. But would she remember him as vividly as he remembered her? Had she given up on the long distance relationship and fallen for some guy more her type, perhaps some pyromaniac who'd died hundreds of years ago. 

At last Ryo saw something up ahead. The gates! To his surprise they opened easily. Someone was expecting him. Ryo pulled out his swords and slowly stepped through the courtyard. As he looked around to examine his surroundings, he found them in a word, breathtaking. It was as big as Talpa's palace in the Nether World, maybe bigger. The complex extended outward, with gorgeous spires, towers, everything. The courtyard itself leading towards the main complex was carved from the finest stone imaginable. There was a large fountain in the center, which Ryo carefully walked by. The palace seemed to have elegantly been repaired since it had been destroyed during the Dark War. He did not have time to admire the view though. He headed up the steps and opened the front doors. 

It was even bigger inside. Ryo began to look around from any signs of life. He heard noises coming from one of the rooms and quietly and carefully stepped into the room. He found the noise was only the TV. He sheathed his weapons and looked around. The TV was over in a corner of the room, around it were several comfortable chairs. Stretched out on the couch in front of it he found a young lady in overalls with purple hair--Ran. 

Her beautiful little head was resting gently atop a fluffy pillow, and her hands were folded neatly on her chest. The beautiful lavender eyes that had won Sai over were gently closed as she rested peacefully and comfortably. Her chest rose and fell as she gently and deeply exhaled. Ryo smiled and proceeded to give her a little kiss on the cheek. He leaned over as she took another breath--and pressed his lips to her cheek. Then, she grabbed him, pulling him to her chest to cuddle him like a teddy bear. 

"Sai..." she said softly in her sleep.   
"Ran..." Ryo said, gasping for air. "Let go Ran..." Ryo said, trying to pry himself free. 

Ran started to snore gently, continuing to say Sai's name. Suddenly someone tapped on Ryo's shoulder. He looked over to see that it was Yuri. 

"Shhh." Yuri said. 

Gently getting a hold of Ran's hands, she gently pulled them apart, allowing Ryo to carefully get free of her death grip. Yuri then placed them down gently, and Ran rolled on to her side. 

"Let's go somewhere so she can finish her nap." Yuri whispered. 

Ryo nodded and the two headed out of the room. 

"Is she always like that?" Ryo asked.   
"Only when she's asleep." Yuri said. "She's taking her afternoon nap."   
"Isn't she a little old for naps?" Ryo asked.   
"I take one too." Yuri said.   
"There's nothing wrong with taking a nap..." Ryo said, trying to prevent himself from dying in the afterlife. 

Yuri smiled. 

"It's all right. When she was little she used to take one with me every afternoon. Although now she likes to take her naps on the couch..." Yuri explained.   
"That's because you snore loud enough to peel paint..." Ryo said under his breath.   
"For the last time, I DO NOT SNORE!" Yuri shouted.   
"Okay, if you say so." Ryo said.   
"Anyway, it must be having some effect because she's always in a good mood. Besides, she's been practicing all morning. The poor thing must be exhausted." Yuri said.   
"Where are the others?" Ryo asked.   
"Probably out by the pool." Ran said.   
"Well, I see you're awake. Did you sleep well?" Yuri asked.   
"As always." Ran said yawning a little. "Ryo!" Ran exclaimed, hugging him to death.   
"How are you doing? How's S...I mean, the other's doing." Ran said, blushing a little.   
"Sai's doing fine." Ryo said. "So are the other guys. I hope they're doing okay without me."   
"Does he...I mean they...miss me...I mean-us?" Ran said.   
"Oh yeah. We've missed you girls. We still think you're the best thing that happened to us, though Anubis would probably say otherwise." Ryo said. 

Ran blushed more than she had in this whole conversation. She began to reminisce about her little unscheduled reappearance of her beloved...tucking him in when he slept...sharing a bed with him...going shopping with him when he was dressed as a girl...her first real kiss... 

"Um, Earth to Ran...come in Ran." Ryo asked.   
"Ooops, sorry." Ran said, blushing again.   
"Well, let's see how the others are doing." Yuri said.   
"How much do you wanna bet that Ayame's relaxing in the middle of the pool?" Ran asked.   
"You're probably right." Yuri said. 

As the three stepped out back, Ryo found that there was a swimming pool out back. In the middle of it, Ayame was once again sunbathing and snoozing on her air mattress. Suiren was sitting pool side, also enjoying the weather with a sun hat over her face. 

"This is what you five do when we're not around?" Ryo asked. Ran giggled.   
"No, just Ayame. When Suiren isn't working on her tan she's racking up our phone bill..." Yuri explained. 

Suddenly a blur came out of nowhere and tackled Ryo to the ground! 

"RYO!!!" a voice exclaimed. "It's so good to see you! I thought I'd never see you again!"   
"I-It's good to see you too, Sakura. Can you get off me now?" Ryo asked.   
"Oh, sorry about that. I'm just so excited that you're going to be staying with us for a while." Sakura said. 

Just then Amaterasu and Kaosu walked in. 

"Ah Ryo, welcome. I trust your trip here was comfortable." Amaterasu said.   
"Well, you need to do something about the stairs..." Ryo said.   
"You must be hungry. Come on everyone, let's get something to eat." Kaosu said. 

Sakura grabbed Ryo and dragged him back into the palace, following the rest of her family. 

The group headed into the dining room, where Kaosu brought Ryo up to speed on everything that had happened since the girls went back to the palace. The food of course, was worthy of a god, or the child of one...even though Yuri ate most of it. Sakura of course insisted that Ryo sit next to her. 

"Have the armors been working well?" Amaterasu asked Ryo.   
"Well, as far as I know they are. Though mine was kind of damaged just before I got here..." Ryo explained.   
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Ayame said.   
"Oh sure, you can fix his armor, yet when there's something wrong with ours you won't lift a finger." Sakura said.   
"If you mean the Chi Amplifiers, for your information I didn't know how. And I thought that we'd put that argument to rest." Ayame said.   
"Oh sure you didn't..." Sakura said.   
"Yes I did, and last time I checked, that circuitry was fixed by Kinjiro, so there's no more problems, thank you very much." Ayame shot back. "And I do keep ours in working order, along with your baby, WHICH I REMIND YOU, I BUILT."   
"What are they fighting about?" Ryo asked Ran, who was sitting next to him.   
"Oh, you'll see later on." Ran whispered back.   
"Girls, not at the dinner table..." Kaosu said sternly.   
"She started it!" Ayame shot back.   
"Did not!" Sakura shouted back at her.   
"Did so!" Ayame fired back.   
"Did not Did not did not!" Sakura fired back.   
"Did too did too did too!" Ayame retaliated.   
"You wanna take this outside?" Sakura said, getting up from the table and heading out the door.   
"Gladly." Ayame said, rudely getting up from the table and stomping after her.   
"Not again..." Yuri said, heading out after them. 

"Excuse us." Amaterasu said, getting up from the table and following Kaosu outside.   
"Um Ran...question. Can I sleep in your room tonight?" Ryo asked.   
"Um, if it's okay with my parents." Ran said.   
"Good." Ryo said. "Does this happen often?"   
"Only when Sakura pisses Ayame off..." Suiren said.   
"Suiren, don't you have some I don't know, business to discuss with Ms. Hongo?" Ran said.   
"Oh yeah, DAMN!!! I was supposed to tell her how to impress that rich guy!" Suiren said, running off.   
"Um Ryo, we might want to go hide somewhere..." Ran said.   
"Why?" Ryo asked.   
"Because after those two get grounded--again--Sakura might take it out on you." Ran said. 

Ryo was still confused. 

"Come on! We can watch from my room." Ran said, running upstairs. 

Meanwhile, Sakura and Ayame had squared off on some sort of battle area. Both had looks of determination on. 

"Let's do it." Sakura said. 

Both of them began glowing with energy as their armors formed around them. Sakura pulled out her swords while Ayame took a fighting stance. In a split second screaming Ayame charged at Sakura, but she sidestepped and kicked Ayame down. Ayame fired her mini-missiles at her, but Sakura elegantly backflipped over her sister's head and slashed her from behind with Gokou Juuji. As Sakura slashed again, Ayame stopped it with her swords before leg throwing her over her Ryu-style. Sakura somersaulted back to her feet before flipping over again, twirling through the air and knocking Ayame down. 

"Face it. You'll never beat me." Sakura said. 

Ayame placed both her feet on Sakura's chest and kicked, knocking her backwards. 

"Add-on Hasshin!" Ayame shouted, summoning her Add-on and interfacing with it. Reaching under her shoulder guards, she pulled out her kama and prepared for even more fighting. As Sakura swung, she blocked with the weapons, before slashing her with the other one. She then roundhoused her away using the leg bombers. 

"You do know Ayame, you're going to have to fix ever ounce of damage you do to my suit." Sakura said. 

Up in Ran's windows, Ryo watched confused. 

"The Neo-Knight Sabers were you five?" Ryo exclaimed.   
"Yeah...sorry...we were going to tell you when you got here but we didn't get a chance..." Ran said.   
"So, I'm guessing when Sai went to check on that message at the hotel, it was you guys, right?" Ryo said. 

Ran blushed. 

"I might have had something to do with that...I-i-i-it was just that you guys were so close...and I really wanted to see Sai again..." Ran said, about to cry.   
"It's okay. We would have done the same thing." Ryo said.   
"You're not mad?" Ran asked.   
"You're still young. It was an honest mistake." Ryo said. 

Ran slapped him. 

"What was that for?" Ryo asked.   
"I'm not that young. I'm 15." Ran said.   
"Right." Ryo said. 

Ayame got in blow after blow, furious at Sakura. Sakura had never stopped leaving her alone. She went and slept in her room and by the pool so she would not have to listen to her nag about how she was their weakest link. Years of rage set in as she slashed at her sister. 

"That's it." Sakura said. "I'm ending this right now." 

Ran gasped in horror as Sakura flipped her katana over. 

"What's wrong?" Ryo asked.   
"She's going to use the ougi..." Ran said, scared for Ayame.   
"What?" Ryo asked.   
"She's going to use Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren...it's the strongest attack in the style she uses." Ran said. 

Sakura set up for the move. She began to weave slowly towards Ayame in the delicate sword dance. Soon it would be over. 

"ONEESAN!" Ran exclaimed suddenly. 

Before Sakura could reach Ayame, Yuri got between them and let Sakura have it, nailing her with a punch that knocked her back. Yuri ran over and ripped Sakura's helmet off after quickly disarming her. 

"Listen up you stuck-up Devil bitch in training...you stop this RIGHT NOW!" Yuri shouted. "Not only is she your sister, she's your TWIN sister, even though you're supposed to be identical I guess that's only in looks. You've got one hell of an ego trip and an attitude to match."   
"Get out of my way...I've got to teach her a lesson." Sakura said.   
"Forgive me." Yuri said, reaching her hand back. 

Suddenly Amaterasu came up and slapped Sakura across the face! 

"SAKURA KAMINO, I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU..." Amaterasu screamed. "How many times have I told you not to fight with your sister? Too many! And on top of that, you made fools out of yourselves at the dinner table, and in front of our honored guest Ryo. And I would have thought that you'd want to make a good impression in front of your boyfriend. Instead, you've embarrassed yourself, not to mention made the rest of us look like bad hosts. You are grounded for ONE WEEK, young lady. No TV, no music, and with the exception of during training sessions, NO RYO. I'm pretty sure that young man's given up on you after he's seen how immature you can be. Now get to your room." 

Sakura shed her armor and stomped up to her room. 

"It's your fault." she said to Ayame as she stormed off. 

Ayame started to cry. Kaosu hurried over to comfort her. 

"Make that TWO WEEKS." Amaterasu added.   
"Never...never will I ever be good enough for her..." Ayame cried. "She's right...I'm weak..."   
"Ayame stop that, NOW. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have the Add-ons, the Hardsuits would never work, and she wouldn't have her precious baby. You're very smart, be proud of that." Yuri said.   
"Yes honey...You should be proud of what you've accomplished." Kaosu said.   
"But it'll never be good enough for SAKURA..." Ayame said angrily. "She won't stop until I beat her in a duel."   
"Come on honey...you need to rest...sleep this off..." Kaosu said. 

Meanwhile, up in Ran's room, Ryo and Ran were trying to figure out what was going on. 

"I don't get it...Sakura was fine until you got here...unless she's trying to keep you away from Ayame..." Ran said.   
"You mean she thinks that Ayame's going to steal me from her?" Ryo said.   
"Maybe..." 

There was a knock at Ran's door. 

"Come in!" Ran said.   
"Oh, there you are Ryo." Amaterasu said.   
"It's safe to come out now, Sakura's in her room pissed off at the world." Yuri said.   
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to turn this house upside down. I'll leave if you want." Ryo said.   
"No, it's not your fault. They've always been like that, even when they were little. Sakura just needs to cool off." Amaterasu said.   
"I'm tired...where am I staying?" Ryo asked.   
"Can Ryo stay in my room?" Ran asked sweetly.   
"That's up to him if he wants to." Kaosu said.   
"Actually Ran, after this afternoon, I think I might be safer in my own room..." Ryo said.   
"Oh, sorry about that..." Ran said, blushing a little.   
"It's okay. I can stay with you until you fall asleep..." Ryo offered.   
"Okay." Ran said.   
"Mom, I'll show Ryo to the guest room after Ran falls asleep." Yuri said.   
"All right. Good night." Amaterasu said.   
"Good night Mommy." Ran said.   
"Good night." Ryo added. 

Ryo quickly stepped out of the room so that Ran could change for bed. Then he entered when they let him back in. 

"Yuri, Ryo, can you tell me a bedtime story?" Ran asked.   
"And you said she's 15?" Ryo whispered to Yuri.   
"She's the baby of the family..blame me." Yuri whispered back.   
"Okay, but when it's over or you fall asleep, no more, okay?" Yuri said.   
"Deal." Ran said.   
"Any preference?" Ryo asked.   
"The Seishi story." Ran said.   
"Ohh, that story. Once upon a time, there were two girls in high school. One day, they found a strange book in the library's Important Documents room, and found themselves transported to a strange world resembling Ancient China..." Yuri began. "In time, one of the girls found that she had to gather Seven Seishi...one was an excellent fighter obsessed with money, there was the narcissist emperor swordsman, the cross dressing man with super strength, the extremely cheerful mage with the quaint way of speaking, the fiery bandit, the gentle doctor, and the smart little boy..."   
"Actually, that boy who's SO CUTE is 13..." Ran said, blushing a little. "And I meant the other Seishi story."   
"Ohh, the Legend of the Seven Seishi." Yuri said. "According to legend, in a time of great strife, seven noble warriors will appear to save the world. They will seek out the Priestess of Amaterasu and use her power to summon mom to Earth to grant three Wishes. Their appearance will be heralded by the appearance of flaming wings appearing from the back of the first Seishi. The second will come a short time after that, and be known as the wings of darkness. The third is said to be a swordsman of the greatest caliber, noble in all respects...The fourth will be a mage able to wield the power of the weather...   
"Um Yuri...look." Ryo said. 

The two looked over, and saw that Ran was fast asleep. Yuri shut off the lights and the two tiptoed out of her room. 

"About that story...is it real?" Ryo asked.   
"Well, the first one is, otherwise Suiren wouldn't be on the phone all the time. As for the Legend, it's only a prophesy so far, but we're still waiting for it to happen." Yuri said.   
"You mean with the Draconai and all." Ryo said.   
"Yeah. That's why Mom's got us training so hard, so we'll be ready." Yuri said.   
"Is there a copy of this anywhere in here?" Ryo asked.   
"Yeah, in the library. But it's getting late. Get some rest, you'll need it." Yuri said, stopping at the room that was to be Ryo's.   
"See you in the morning." Yuri said.   
"Good night." Ryo said. 

**To Be Continued...** ****

**Next Episode******

RAN: Hey everyone! In our next chapter, Ryo's training begins as we get him ready to fight the Draconai! Sakura doesn't hold back on him though...Meanwhile, back on Earth, the remaining Ronins fight another member of the Elite, but can Navcase stop Anubis in time before his transformation is complete? 

YURI'S VOICE: Ran, go to sleep... 

RAN: Gotta go! It's the next episode of Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath, The Training Begins. Night everyone! See you next time! 


	6. The Training Begins

Rwdrw6

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 6: The Training Begins**

"WATCH OUT!!!" Rowen screamed as a flurry of rocks flew by the Ronins, who quickly dodged.   
"This new guy is tough!" Sage said. "It might take a while to beat him." 

The Draconai they were fighting exhaled another flurry of rocks at them, but Kento used his new staff to slice through them. 

"Let's see how you do against me!" Kento shouted. 

Kento lunged at their new opponent, but he sidestepped and punched Kento in the face. Kento recovered and let him have it with his cannons, knocking the Draconai warrior back. 

"Time to shake things up!" he shouted, punching his claw to the ground, opening up a fissure that threatened to seal the fate of the Ronins forever. Most of them saw it coming and were able to avoid, however Sage was not so lucky and now was hanging precariously over the edge. The Draconai walked over and stood over Sage. 

"This is where you fall down." he said, stepping on Sage's hand, causing him to fall to his doom. He then started to move his hands together, and as they got closer and closer, the chasm became smaller and smaller. Sage noticed this and fired his thrusters skyward. The gap became smaller and smaller as he headed higher and higher, but he managed to blast his way through just before it sealed up. 

"Thunderbolt Cut!" he shouted, slashing the Draconai with his blade. He screamed in pain as he was knocked back. He exhaled another flurry of stones at them, but Navcase got in their way, slicing through them elegantly! He then gripped his sword for a run-through and rocketed forward, dodging a punch from the Draconai to get behind him and nail him with Ryu Kan Sen. The Draconai swung his claws at Navcase, who parried with his sword. 

"Thanks for the assist Navcase! Mind telling us who this guy is?" Sai shouted.   
"That's Gantassai, another Draconai Elite..." he grimaced as he fought back his advance.   
"We guessed that from the armor. How do we stop this guy?" Rowen asked.   
"Fire and Ice, Earth and Poison. Lightning is its own opposite..." Navcase said, struggling.   
"In that case..." Sekhmet said, bringing out his swords. "SNAKE FANG STRIKE!!!!" 

The poisonous whip cut into the warrior, hurting him severely. He screamed in pain, even more so when so when Navcase sent him packing with his emerald blasts. 

"Now to finish you off..." Navcase said, readying his swords for another go. But then he was overcome by pain!   
"NOT AGAIN!!!" He shouted, taking off towards Kinjiro's, leaving the heroes with a very angry Draconai Elite. He raised his arms to the sky roaring in anger, suspending the heroes high in the sky, and then smashing the pillars, sending them falling into his kicks and punches. 

"ISHIBIYA!!!!" Gentassai shouted, calling forth the wrath of the Ishibiya Corps, who opened fire on the heroes, weakening them. Another salvo was called for, nailing the heroes again. 

"I hope these armors are still under warranty!" Kale shouted. 

A loud roar was heard as a very familiar but very scary suit of armor flew in and sent the Ishibiya Corps packing thanks to a hail of vulcan fire. 

"Anubis!!!!" The group shouted, both in happiness and in fear. 

The onslaught began as the armored whacko charged at Gentassai, pummeling him with punches and an uppercut that launched him skyward. 

"DIE YOU MISERABLE CREATURES!!!" Anubis shouted in anger. 

He grabbed the reeling Gentassai and took him into the air and nailed him with a Seismic Toss, then smashed Gentassai over his knee. He then tossed him in the air, and fired his buster shield, impaling him before smashing him into a nearby wall. Anubis, satisfied he had killed him, flew off once again. 

_Meanwhile, up in the Heavens..._

"RYO!!!! WAKE UP!!!" Ran's voice called. 

Ryo had been sleeping peacefully since the previous night. He was happy to be safely at the palace, but slightly worried about the training. Hopefully it would not be that bad. But he knew he needed it if he was to help his friends fight the Draconai. Ryo opened his eyes to find a dressed smiling Ran standing over him. 

"Good morning sleepyhead. Time for breakfast! Hurry before Yuri eats it all!" Ran giggled, skipping off to eat. 

Ryo climbed out of bed and slowly but groggily headed downstairs after Ran. When he entered the kitchen he noticed a feeding frenzy currently being caused by Yuri. 

"Yuri, some of that is for us and Ryo..." Ayame said.   
"I know." She said, her mouth full of food.   
"Good morning Ryo!" Amaterasu said. "Sleep well?"   
"I guess so..." Ryo said.   
"Good. Because today we begin training you. Sakura's already up and out on the practice area. After you eat go see her."   
"I just hope she's not mad at me for being nice to everyone last night." Ryo said, worried.   
"Oh, she'll get over it." Ran said.   
"She can't stay mad at you forever. She is your girlfriend." Suiren said.   
"If you say so." Ryo said, summoning his sub-armor and heading out the door. 

After searching around without any luck and asking several of the palace guards for directions, he arrived at the practice area. Sure enough, Sakura was there, doing kata with her swords. Ryo watched as she swung her swords rhythmically through the air, cutting away at imaginary opponents. It was almost dreamlike watching a pretty girl like her practicing. She prepared her swords for the Onmyou Hasshi Maneuver and almost hit Ryo as he quickly dodged out of the way of her swords. 

"You're late." Sakura said, with a touch of anger in her voice.   
"Well, not everyone likes to get up as early as you Sakura..." Ryo said. 

Sakura looked at him sternly. 

"Your...mom told me this is where I'd find you." Ryo stammered.   
"Well, since you're here, I might as well train you like she ordered..." Sakura said. "Call your armor."   
"Armor of White Neo Wildfire...Tao Jin Jin!" Ryo shouted. 

In a dramatic display of stock footage, Ryo was armored up. He drew his swords in preparation. 

"What about you?" Ryo asked as he brandished his weapons.   
"What ABOUT me." Sakura said sternly, as if it was an insult.   
"Aren't you going to use your armor too?" Ryo asked.   
"I don't need it to beat a weakling like you." Sakura said.   
"Okay, if you say so." Ryo said. 

He slashed at Sakura with his left hand, but she blocked it quickly. Before Ryo could react, she was slashing with the other sword and he barely brought his other blade up in time to parry it. Sakura performed the Gokou Juuji, swinging both swords outward and causing Ryo to fall backwards. Sakura brought one of her swords to his throat. 

"Pathetic. No wonder you can't beat the Draconai." Sakura said. "Now, get up, and try again." 

Ryo got to his feet and charged with both his swords, but Sakura gracefully dodged and kicked him down with her leg, causing him to fall on his face. As he tried to get up Sakura came at him with lightning speed so fast he could barely parry her blows. 

"The Draconai won't give you a fighting chance, and neither will I!" Sakura shouted. 

Ryo launched his flame aura at her, knocking her back. 

"So, you wanna play like that do you..." Sakura said, her hair blowing in an energy wind. 

Flames erupted around her as armor unfolded and appeared over her clothing, surrounding her in her Hardsuit. She flew at Ryo with even more fury, slashing faster than he could keep up. She used the Gokou Juuji once again, but Ryo dodged it and flew at her, only to be knocked away by her Knuckle Bomber! Ryo fell to the ground and did not get up. 

"Ryo! Ryo? Are you okay?" she said, for the first time sounding worried.   
"Someone get the number of that truck..." Ryo said, coming to.   
"Oh thank God you're all right...I mean, you underestimated me. You'll never win like that. The Draconai are relentless and will do anything to defeat you. I hope by the time you leave here you'll be able to defeat them." Sakura said. 

Sakura dismissed her armor as dramatically as she summoned it. 

"I'm going to see if I can find some more worthy opponents. Maybe one of my sisters will go easier on you." Sakura said as she headed off. 

Ryo got to his feet and dismissed his armor in anger. He was the leader of the Ronins, and thought himself to be quite powerful. Now his own GIRLFRIEND was telling him he was a weakling? Sakura had changed. He knew he had to get tougher if he was going to stand up against the Draconai, but he was sure that Sakura would not be the one to do that. He decided to see if he could find the other girls to see if they could help him. 

Checking by the pool, he found Suiren sitting pool side reading a magazine about bishounen, while Ayame floated in the middle, soaking up the sun as usual. Concluding that these two would not be able to help him, he decided to go see if he could find Ran and Yuri. After some asking and searching, he found a large gymnasium, and an Olympic size swimming pool. Yuri was practicing moves on a punching bag, while Ran was doing laps in the pool. Yuri noticed Ryo enter and waved to him to come over. 

"So, how'd it go against the Devil Girl?" Yuri said.   
"She kicked my ass..." Ryo explained.   
"That bad?" Yuri added.   
"Not to mention she literally kicked my ass..." Ryo added. "She said that I was too weak a challenge so she went to find some more worthy opponents."   
"That girl has become so tough since we got back..." Yuri said.   
"Not to mention she's got a polearm shoved up her..." Ran said as she came up drying her hair with a towel, suddenly covering her mouth quickly. "Oops!"   
"No, it's okay. It's true." Yuri said. "I would have thought she'd be happy to see you."   
"She should probably just dye her hair blue and put mousse in it and spike it, so she'd look more like that Tenchi bitch Ryoko..." Ran said, catching herself again. "Did I just say what I think I said?"   
"Sakura should make herself look like Ryoko?" Ryo asked.   
"I did didn't I..." Ran said. "Sorry Ryo...I know you like her..."   
"Come to think of it, I'm getting to think you two might be right about her. Any explanation as to why she's become Queen Bitch of the Heavens lately?" Ryo asked.   
"Well, after we got back here after Mom summoned us, we all took it hard. Sakura took it harder than the rest of us though. All she did was sleep and cry. Then one day she got up real early in the morning and started practicing with her swords. I guess to get her mind off how much she missed you and train herself to take out the Draconai." Yuri explained.   
"Oneesan's older so I guess she was prepared for it. I missed Sai too, but she was there to help me through it. But I though I'd gotten over the fact that I missed him...then there was the little journey down to earth to test the armors..." Ran said.   
"I said I wasn't mad at you. Okay at the time I was worried that we lost Sai, but now I know he was in good hands. Your death grip of slumber is better than any evil being having him." Ryo said. 

Ran suddenly pushed him into the pool with a huge splash. 

"Hey! I'm weak in the water!" Ryo said, splashing around.   
"Oh, I'm sorry Ryo! I'll help you out." Ran said. 

Ran reached out for Ryo's hand, but when she did with a scream she was pulled in too! 

"Oneesan help me!" Ran shouted.   
"I'm coming!" Yuri said, leaping in after them. 

The three splashed around in the water, laughing and splashing each other for a few minutes. Ran of course had the advantage. 

"I have an idea! Maybe I can show Ryo how to fight in here!" Ran exclaimed.   
"But my armor is Wildfire. It's weak in the water." Ryo said.   
"Yes, but with some conditioning it'll get stronger. Plus the weightless environment will help make you stronger." Yuri said.   
"Maybe later. But I guess I can swim with Ran if she lets me." Ryo said.   
"Of course. But now I've got to practice with my weapon." Ran said, heading into another room to change.   
"Can you help out Yuri?" Ryo asked.   
"I guess I could. Suiren and Ayame were no help?" she asked.   
"Nope." Ryo added.   
"Thought so. When Ran gets changed we'll go someplace and give you some fighting pointers." Yuri said.   
"Thanks." Ryo said.   
"No problem." Yuri added. 

Ran soon emerged in workout clothing. 

"I'm ready!" Ran exclaimed. 

The three headed over to another practice area, one not occupied by the Devil Incarnate. 

"Ryo, the first thing you've got to learn is how to dodge better." Yuri said, summoning her staff. Ran did the same.   
"Wait, how can you two do that without wearing your armor?" Ryo said in surprise.   
"Our armors aren't stored in the orbs; they're a part of us. That's the only big difference...that and the fact we've been training for some time." Yuri explained. "Now, we're going to come at you with our staffs, what I want you to do is try and dodge the best you can."   
"Okay." Ryo said. 

Ryo got ready for the attacks. Yuri came at him, thrusting with her staff, but Ryo sidestepped out of the way, only to get hit by Ran's. Good thing he was in his sub-armor. 

"Are you okay Ryo?" Ran asked.   
"I'm okay. Let's keep going." Ryo said. 

Yuri slashed downward at him, but he leaped up and over her, and sidestepped out of the way of Ran's staff, only to be nailed from behind by Yuri. 

"Okay, I think I'm going to try this with my armor now..." Ryo said, powering up into his White Neo Armor. 

Yuri lunged at him with her staff, but he managed to parry it away with his swords. Ran grabbed him with her mancatcher and slammed him into the ground. 

"Ryo! Are you okay? Sorry, force of habit..." Ran said.   
"It's a good thing I'm already dead..." Ryo said. 

Ryo managed to get back on his feet again. Yuri came at him with a Seung Mina style up and over slash, but Ryo leapt out of the way before it hit. 

"You're getting better." Yuri said.   
"That's good." Ryo said. 

The three practiced for several hours. About halfway through Yuri donned a pair of claws and went at Ryo hand to hand to help him to learn about how to fight the Draconai better. Before long it was time for lunch and Yuri raced for the kitchen. Ran and Ryo walked behind her. Yuri headed for the food while a well sun-kissed Ayame and Suiren entered. 

"So, how are things going Ryo?" Suiren asked.   
"Well, Sakura kicked my ass but Ran and Yuri are helping me out." Ryo said.   
"Just like Devil Girl..." Ayame said. "That little bitch has been on an ego trip ever since we got back."   
"Ayame! That's not nice!" Ran said.   
"Save the polite crap Ran! Not only is she insulting me now she's going after her own boyfriend." Ayame snapped.   
"Ayame!" Yuri scolded. 

Ayame did not listen and instead pushed by Yuri and ran up to her room. 

"What's with Ayame?" Ryo asked.   
"She's mad at Sakura for not being nice to her and has been taking it out on everyone else." Yuri said. "She also has it in her head that she doesn't deserve Rowen anymore..."   
"I wish I could help." Ryo said.   
"It's okay. They'll get over it eventually..." Ran said, yawning a little. "Naptime. See you in an hour or so everyone." 

Ran headed off to the living room. Ryo followed her to ensure she did not fall asleep before she got there. Ran climbed onto the couch and propped her feet up on the far most armrest and stretched out. Ryo propped a pillow under her head. 

"Thanks Ryo." she said.   
"No problem. By the way, where's the library?" Ryo asked.   
"Down the second hallway, thirteenth door on your right." Ran said.   
"Thanks." he said, heading for the door. "By the way, where do I find the leg..." Ryo began. 

He looked over at Ran. She had already fallen asleep. 

"end of the Seishi." 

He walked over to where she rested comfortably. 

"Sweet dreams." Ryo said, bending down and kissing her on the cheek. He looked up to find Sakura waiting by the doorway, her purple eyes staring daggers at him. 

"It's not what you think..." Ryo began. 

Sakura turned around and stormed off in anger. Ryo shrugged his shoulders and headed off to the library. 

Meanwhile, back on Earth... 

Navcase soared through the air above Toyama, trying desperately to locate Anubis. He knew full well that Anubis was both a menace to himself, the Ronins and to the Draconai. With the curse growing in intensity, Navcase had to stop him before all hell broke loose. Suddenly something came out of nowhere and slashed him! Navcase screamed in pain as a certain form hovered in front of him...Anubis. 

"You smell like one of those vile beasts! DIE!!!!" Anubis shouted, slashing with his twin scythe. 

Navcase barely managed to get out of the way of Anubis' lunge at him. In the air, Anubis' armor, equipped for Zero-G combat, reigned supreme. Navcase's outdated but slightly improved armor would not stand much of a chance. Although Kinjiro had made the armor able to fly and maneuver better in the air thanks to several dozen nanotech verniers, it was still nowhere near the level of technology Anubis' armor was packing. 

Navcase swerved out of the path of Anubis' scythe once again, then went into a spinning dive to dodge the bullets from his vulcan cannons. He managed to come up behind the insane warrior, but Anubis turned around and blocked him with his scythe. He pushed back, sending Navcase down. Navcase fired his thrusters, and charged at Anubis with his sword ready. He fired a series of emerald blasts at Anubis, managing to damage his exposed chest plate, but Anubis fired his shield, damaging one of Ryuujin's wings. Navcase fell from the sky, spinning like a downed bird. 

"It can't end this way...Yes, the curse dies with me...but I cannot leave this world without seeing Yuriko's face again." 

A happy young Japanese woman's face flashed through his mind. She seemed to be smiling. 

"AAAAAAAH!!!!" Navcase screamed at the top of his lungs. 

A purple aura erupted around him, and he stabilized and shot upward towards Anubis. 

"What on Earth?" Anubis wondered.   
"I am not going to die NOW!!! NOT TODAY!!!!" Navcase screamed. 

With an incredible amount of Chi, he swung his sword through the air, causing an energy vacuum that drew Anubis in. He then came around and knocked Anubis for a loop with an upward slash as he performed the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu ougi; Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki in mid-air! 

"CURSE YOU!!!!" Anubis shouted as he was sent flying. Navcase set down on top of a building and attempted to retract his wings, but the mechanisms were damaged.   
"Damn..." Navcase swore. 

He managed to dismiss the armor. 

"This may accelerate the curse, but it might work..." Navcase thought as he focused and arched his back. 

He grimaced in pain as the curse continued to ail him. Fluids erupted as two structures emerged from his back and unfolded into draconian wings. Navcase took to the air and flew back toward Kinjiro's. 

Elsewhere, a very annoyed Anubis managed to get control again. 

''THAT ACCURSED RUROUNI!!!! HE WILL PAY FOR STANDING IN MY WAY!!!!!!! AS WILL THE DRACONAI!!!!" Anubis screamed. 

He began to glow with a very evil looking aura as his damage once again mysteriously healed itself. 

"THEY WILL ALL PAY!!!!!" Anubis declared to the world. 

**To Be Continued...** ****

**Next Episode******

ROWEN: Rowen here. Things have been difficult since Ryo died, but I'm hanging in there. Next time, we get hit with all five Draconai Elite at once, including Kouen, who we haven't yet fought. But when Anubis shows up, pissed off more than usual, can anything stop his rage? It's next on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; From Ogre to Demon. Don't miss it. 


	7. From Ogre to Demon

rwdrw7 _Up in the Heavens..._

After his little run-in with Sakura, Ryo had retreated into the Palace library, where he hoped Sakura would not find him and try and kill him for innocently kissing Ran. After some searching, he had managed to find the book Ran and Yuri spoke of. He pulled it off the shelf and sat down. The book was written mostly in complex kanji, but Ryo was able to decipher it. 

"_Let's see...when the earth has been overrun completely by evil, fourteen Seishi blessed by the Gods of Light and Dark will come to save it_...I thought that was the Ronins' job..." Ryo thought. "Oh well." 

He continued reading. 

"_The plight of eight will awaken one who rides on wings of flame...Tsubasa_ no Hi...that's what the voice called me. Could I be one of them? Well, in this world, anything's possible. _Okay...the burning desires from within will awaken one with wings of darkness...the wings of flame and darkness will be forever linked by steel...the third shall wield his sword in the name of the heavens...the bloodline of the fox monk will deliver one who is master of both magic and weather...from the heart of the Sword of Heaven, one who may cross between heaven and earth will come...a mistress of space will appear when the need arises...only when the problem has reached its peak will a lord of magnetism emerge to fight evil..."___

"Whatcha' doin' Ryo?" Ran asked as she surprised the hero.   
"N-n-nothing..." Ryo stammered.   
"I see you're reading the legend of the Seishi..." Ran observed, pointing to the book Ryo was trying very hard to hide.   
"Okay, you've caught me. Do you know what it means by, 'the wings of flame and darkness will be forever linked by steel?'" Ryo asked. 

Ran thought for a moment. Ryo detected a sweet, sugary smell in the air around. As Ran chewed on the question in her mind, she also began to form a large pink bubble that popped on her face. She sucked it back in and turned to Ryo. 

"I'm not sure. Mom said something about the first two Seishi supposedly having some aspect of their power linked. But I'm not really sure. We're still waiting for the prophesy to come true."   
"Oh, I'm sorry about this afternoon." Ryo said.   
"Oh, the little kiss? That was sweet of you. But don't mind Sakura, she's been this way ever since we got back." Ran explained.   
"Any ideas on how to make her happy again?" Ryo asked.   
"Flowers? Or show her an extravagant night...though that might be a little hard since she's grounded..." Ran said.   
"Maybe I should just talk to her..." Ryo said.   
"Okay...but don't say I didn't warn you." Ran said. "Well, I'm off to help cook dinner. See you later!" Ran said.   
"Bye." Ryo said. 

He knew it had to be done. Someone had to get Sakura off her antisocial ego trip. And it had to be him. 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 7: From Ogre to Demon** ****

At Ceiphied's impromptu base, plans were being made. The failures had been taken care of in the usual manner. His soldiers were prepared for anything. The fallen had been replaced by fresh recruits from the prisoners; the Mantles had been distributed per Draconai tradition. But his mission of conquest was not going as well as he had hoped. Too many failures had fought the Ronins and ran away. The previous Rakurai had been sent out to dispose of Anubis before he became too much of a problem...that had cause yet another problem, another loss. Ceiphied was loosing patience with his minions. 

"KOUEN!!!! RAKURAI!!!! KOUREHA!!!!! GENTASSAI!!!! and GEKIDOKU!!!!! COME BEFORE ME!!!" Ceiphied boomed. 

The five warriors entered the throne room and kowtowed to their leader. 

"What do you wish of us, Lord Ceiphied?" Kouen asked.   
"All five of you are going into battle together. Take the best warriors in each of your clans with you. You are to lure the Ronins out into the open, and destroy Anubis. We cannot afford another defeat by him." Ceiphied said.   
"It shall be done my lord." Kouen assured him. 

"Guys, we've got another problem. The Draconai are at it again. They're in the downtown area, terrorizing civilians and causing damage." Mia reported.   
"We're on our way." Rowen said.   
"Four of them are wearing those armors you fought before, there's some new guy, and a whole bunch of soldiers." Mia explained.   
"We're on it. Tell Hariel and the others to meet us there." Rowen said. 

The seven called upon their armors and took to the sky. Soaring high over the city at high speed, the group soon spotted the disturbance. 

"There they are. Looks like the police are having some trouble." Sage said.   
"Of course they are. They're no match for the Draconai." Kento said.   
"Looks like they broke out the SWAT team..." Sai said.   
"Let's go in." Dais said. 

As the police attempted to hold back the crowds, everyone cheered as the Ronins arrived on the scene. They quickly fired up their beam weaponry and went to work. The crowd cheered as they made successful blows on the Elite...they booed as the Draconai knocked them back with their strength. 

"These guys fight differently than last time..." Dais said as he attempted to hold back Rakurai as several soldiers slashed at his armor.   
"Yeah, but we've still got to take them out!" Kento said. He sprayed Gekidoku with vulcan fire before running two soldiers through with his twin bladed staff. Another charged, but he used his cannon to take him out. 

Sage slashed to the left, taking down one soldier, and to the right taking down another, then charging straight at Rakurai, who blocked with his claw. 

"Give it up Ronin...You'll never win!" Rakurai shouted.   
"I'm not going down without a fight!" Sage said, breaking out of their sword lock, going into his kata and nailing Rakurai with a Thunderbolt Cut.   
"CURSE YOU RONIN!!!!" Rakurai screamed, zapping Sage with a lightning bolt. Several soldiers moved in on him, but they were quickly cut down by a certain maroon armor.   
"Thought you could use some help." Kale said. 

Sage frantically pointed to soldiers coming up to ambush Kale, but it was too late. Kale was roundhoused and knocked out of the picture. 

Rowen was fighting off several members of Kouen's group before Kouen backhanded him away. 

"As leader of the Draconai Elite, it is only fitting that I face you, the leader of the Ronins, in combat." Kouen said.   
"As you wish!" Rowen said, attempting to nail him with his staff, but Kouen grabbed it and hit Rowen with it. Rowen managed to get it back and swung several times, but Kouen kept blocking. He knocked Rowen back with a fire blast. 

Kento continued to slash through soldier after soldier, while Sai ran them through again and again. But they kept coming. 

"We're running out of ammo and stamina here!" Rowen said.   
"Tell me about it!" Kento added. 

Suddenly, a salvo of missiles struck, wiping out several Draconai! 

"Hariel!" Rowen shouted.   
"Looks like we got here just in time. Okay Forgotten Souls, let's show these monsters what we're made of!" Hariel shouted.   
"I have had enough of this!" Kouen shouted. He motioned to the other Elite. The soldiers fell back and the Elite formed rank. 

Gekidoku used his breath weapon on the heroes, the corrosive acids eating through their armor, causing them to scream in pain. Koureha then let loose with a freeze blast, which froze them solid. Then, Rakurai let them have it with several jolts of electricity which cut through the ice, before an earthquake hit that shattered the ice and set them free. Kouen then wrapped them up in a tornado of flame that lifted them high into the air and dropped them hard. 

"That is how you defeat gnats like them." Kouen said. 

Suddenly a shield came out of nowhere and impaled Kouen, slamming him into a wall! The Ronins looked up horrified. People fled in terror. Hovering in the air above them, was Anubis. His eyes were glowing. And he had an evil looking aura erupting around him. He landed in front of the Ronins. He retracted his shield and Kouen charged at him. He swung, but he missed, and Anubis took that opportunity to drive his beam scythe through his chest. He then twisted the blade over, lifted him up on it and slammed him into a wall. Gentassai opened fire with a hail of rocks, but Anubis blasted them into sand with his vulcan cannons before firing off a Chi blast that knocked him over. Anubis ran over and lifted him up, and crashed him against his knee, before using him as a human shield against Gekidoku, who opened fire just as Anubis turned around, exposing Gentassai, causing him to writhe in pain from the poison. Anubis impaled him on his buster shield and tossed him aside like a rag doll, roaring in anger. Rakurai was next; he shocked Anubis with a violent lightning bolt, and several more, but they simply bounced off his armor plating and caused explosions of surrounding areas. He walked casually towards him, his armor deflecting every bolt, grabbed Rakurai by the throat and went skyward, before throwing him into the air and spiking him into the ground like a volleyball. Kouen tried to punch him; Anubis grabbed his fist, and pulled back, ripping off his arm, and tossing it away before punching him through the chest, reaching in and hurling him off to the other side. 

"GEKIDOKU!!!!!!!!!!!!!" YOU'RE MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Anubis roared with extreme anger, the aura glowing brighter and brighter with every passing second. 

He walked towards him, flinging Draconai soldiers out of the way that lined up to protect him. Several surrounded him and prepared to fire, but Anubis performed a technique that knocked them all way with a Chi shockwave. He then located Gekidoku. He grabbed the cowering warrior and slammed him into a wall, and then slammed him into another wall. He grabbed him by his arm, and slammed him over his shoulder into the ground. The carnage continued as he nailed him with punch after punch, wearing him down. 

"ANUBIS!!! YOU'VE GOT TO GET CONTROL!!!! STOP THIS!!!!" Rowen called out.   
"Anubis, come back with us!" Dais shouted. 

The Ronins called out again and again as Anubis continued to pummel Gekidoku. Deep within Anubis' subconscious mind, he finally awoke. 

"What's that...my friends...my allies..." Anubis said. "What have I done...I must put an end to this!"   
"NOW YOU DIE!!!" the demonic Anubis shouted, holding his Scythe above his head, ready to plunge it into Gekidoku.   
"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Anubis shouted, struggling to get back control of his body. 

Outside, Anubis began to swing. The blades got closer and closer. Deep within, Anubis tried desperately to stop this onslaught. Finally, at the last second, he mustered enough strength to stop himself. The blade stopped only inches from Gekidoku's head. The Ronins breathed a sigh of relief. 

"NO!!!!!!! FINISH HIM!!!!!! IT IS NOT DONE UNTIL THEY ARE ALL DEAD!!!!" the voice shouted; the same voice that had told him to kill the Draconai so horribly before.   
"No. It is dishonorable, and I will not be a part of this massacre anymore." Anubis said.   
"Who's he talking to?" the other Ronins wondered.   
"...I will not be a willing vessel to this insanity." Anubis declared.   
"IF YOU WILL NOT DO IT...THEN I WILL!!!!" the voice declared. 

Within his mind Anubis' was tossed back as a sinister, evil looking version of himself took control. It then morphed into a nasty looking winged demon with a large horn sticking out of its forehead. 

"Oh dear...how could this have happened?" Anubis wondered. 

Outside, Anubis began to scream in pain. He doubled over in pain. The armor buckled and then cracked as two large membranes began to form on his back. They stretched out into large bat like wings. The armored gloves he wore were destroyed as his hands grew into large claws. His body became bigger as he grew in height. His helmet was destroyed as a large, demonic looking head with a large horn emerged as Anubis became a strange cross between Deathscythe Hell Custom, EVA-01, and Zoantropy. The beast roared in anger. 

"Protect me!" Gekidoku shouted as he tried to limp away. 

The ugly monster proceeded to stop after Gekidoku, who was shielded by his troops. 

"ANUBIS DESTROY!!!!!!!" it shouted. 

Taking his staff and twirling it above his head, he slammed it into the ground, causing flames to erupt from the ground that vaporized the soldiers, as the ugly thing began to chase after Gekidoku. 

"Okay, sure-kills may not work on the Draconai, but they sure as hell better work on that thing!" Rowen shouted. 

The seven powered up with their kata motions and all seven sure kills flew at it, but it turned and created a sort of honeycomb like barrier. 

"Uh oh...this isn't good." Rowen said. 

It then collected all the energy and sent it back at the Ronins, knocking them out. 

"ANUBIS SMASH GEKIDOKU!!!!" it declared.   
"We better follow that thing." Hariel shouted. 

The Forgotten Souls sped after the creature, which then took to the air searching for Gekidoku, who was attempting to run away. It went into a power dive and scooped him up, heading for the waterfront. 

"Why would he go there?" Saranbo wondered.   
"Because that's where Ryo was killed. That thing may not look like Anubis, but he's in there...somewhere." 

Inside Anubis, he continued to plead with the demon. 

"Please! Stop this! They have suffered enough. Stop this madness!" Anubis pleaded.   
"ISN'T THIS WHAT YOU WANT? NOW HE MAY SUFFER FOR THE DEATH OF RYO!!!!!" the demon shouted.   
"Why can't I move my body?" Anubis wondered.   
"Because I have complete control. You are mine to control and manipulate!" the demon shouted. 

The creature reached the waterfront and dropped Gekidoku. He then tackled him to the ground, and began punching into his chest, again and again, determined to get to his heart. 

"STOP THIS!!!" Anubis shouted, summoning his old armor of Cruelty and proceeding to fight with the demon for control of his body. 

The Forgotten Souls arrived on the scene. From the air, Hariel powered up the main weapons, training his sights on Anubis, hoping he would not have to fire... 

_Up in the Heavens...___

"Ryo!" Amaterasu shouted, awakening Ryo.   
"Huh? Wha?" he said, just waking up.   
"Anubis has lost control of himself completely and the demon has taken over. We need your help. You've got to try and get through to him!" Amaterasu shouted. 

She led him to another chamber in the palace, where there was a large mirror. Amaterasu waved her hand and showed him the battle at hand, as well as the struggle within Anubis' mind for control. 

"Anubis is fighting hard to regain control of himself, but the demon has possessed his armor as well as his body now. He needs help to force it back. Place your hand on my shoulder and speak." Amaterasu said.   
"What should I say?" Ryo wondered.   
"Call out to him. Say anything, anything that will get his attention." Amaterasu said. 

Ryo placed his hand on Amaterasu's shoulder, and shouted out, "Anubis!!!!!!" 

"What? That's Ryo's voice." Anubis said. 

The demon pushed him back. 

"WHAT IS THIS!!!??" it shouted.   
"It's Ryo!" Anubis exclaimed. "Ryo? Where are you?" Anubis called back.   
"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!" the demon shouted, slowly loosing control.   
"I'm at Amaterasu's Palace. She's training me to help you fight the Draconai. I'll be back as soon as I can. Take care of yourself. You've got to help Rowen now as you helped me. I know you can do it." Ryo said. 

Anubis listened, and grew stronger with every word. 

"WHAT IS HAPPENING????" the demon shouted in frustration.   
"THE IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!" Anubis shouted. "YOU'RE GOING BACK TO WHERE YOU BELONG!!!! QUAKE WITH FEAR!!!!" Anubis shouted, nailing the Demon and knocking it back into the darkness. 

Anubis quickly stopped the onslaught and stepped away from Gekidoku. 

"Huh? What's going on?" Hariel wondered. 

Slowly but surely Anubis returned to his normal size and form, as the wings and claws disappeared and he shrunk back to his original form and Deathscythe armor. The Forgotten Souls ran over to him. 

"Anubis! Are you all right?" Saber Strike shouted.   
"Dear God...what have I done?" Anubis said, slowly remembering all the havoc he had wreaked, all the Draconai he had slaughtered brutally...Anubis put his hands over his face. "What have I done..."   
"It was all the Demon Anubis. Not you." Saber Strike said.   
"No...It was my body...how could I have done such a thing..." Anubis wondered.   
"You better than anyone should know what a person is capable when under an evil influence." Saranbo said. 

As the other Souls began to reassure Anubis of his sanity, Navcase watched the scene from above, happy and relieved that he did not have to intervene. But then he spotted Gekidoku headed towards Anubis! 

"Anubis look out!" Saber Strike shouted, barely able to draw his sword. 

Out of the sky a platinum blur flew by, driving Gekidoku into the wall, impaling him. Gekidoku coughed up blood. 

"It may be the end for me, Rurouni...but your end will come very soon..." Gekidoku said weakly to Navcase, and then he breathed his last. Then Anubis passed out from exhaustion. 

_A few hours later..._

Anubis awoke to find the other Ronins surrounding his bed. 

"Feeling better Anubis?" Mia asked.   
"Yes, much better, thank you Mia." Anubis said.   
"We saw you turn into some sort of demon, and then you knocked us out. What happened?" Kento asked.   
"I learned there was a demon inside of me. He had slowly creeped out of my armor and into my body, controlling my every action. It was a shame I did not realize this sooner. I managed to fight him off, thanks to Ryo." Anubis said. 

Everyone was speechless. 

"Anubis, you know he's dead, don't you?" Rowen said.   
"He called out to me from the Heavens; that's where he is now. He's training with Amaterasu to help fight the Draconai. He said he'd return as soon as he could." Anubis said. 

At this the Ronins began to cheer, knowing that their leader was in good hands. 

"Now that I know Ryo is fine, I do not feel as worried now. I may even be able to control my armor now." Anubis said. "It would not have gone through that without some sort of alteration."   
"Who cares? Let's go eat and celebrate!" Kento shouted, running off.   
"Once again, as usual, am I the only one who wishes to destroy the Draconai? Teenagers." Anubis said, fuming once again. "And I hope that Ryo does not fall in love with that She-Devil again!"   
"Heeee's baaaaaack...." Dais, Kale and Sekhmet said softly and in unison as Anubis headed downstairs to continue to lecture the heroes. 

On Anubis' nightstand, his armor orb glowed an evil glow...and the sound of an evil laugh could faintly be heard. 

**To be Continued...**   
**** ****

**Next Episode******

KENTO: Oh yeah! Anubis is back on the team, and he's back to normal, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Anything's better than that insane whacko Anubis. 

SAI: Kento, we're here to discuss the next episode, not tell your thoughts about the situation. 

KENTO: Right. Next time, a very interesting visitor comes to see us...Navcase! 

SAI: Apparently he's finally ready to talk after keeping quiet all this time. But what does he have to say? 

KENTO: You'll have to read the next chapter to find out! 

SAI: It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; The Scaly Secrets Revealed. 

KENTO AND SAI: See you next time!   


  
  
  
  
  



	8. The Scaly Secrets Revealed

Rwdrw8 At Ceiphied's elaborate fortress, a ceremony was once again being enacted. Once again, five deserving candidates, one from each clan, stepped forward and were presented with the five armors that signified them as Draconai Elite. The evil dragons cheered as the new Elite took their places by Ceiphied's throne. The evil being rose to address his loyal minions. 

"My loyal warriors! It is time we eliminate one thorn in our side, one that I should have made suffer eons ago had I known he would be this much trouble! I sense his presence...chances are he is heading to see the Ronins and tell them our secrets...WE MUST STOP HIM AT ONCE!!!!" Ceiphied shouted. 

The Draconai cheered as Ceiphied declared his intentions to destroy Navcase. Ceiphied smiled slyly. Soon their greatest ally would be destroyed. 

"We leave at once!" Ceiphied shouted. 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 8: The Scaly Secrets Revealed** ****

"Anubis! Slow down! When was the last time you ate?" Mia asked.   
"I apologize Mia, ::chomp chomp:: but being possessed by a demon ::chew:: does prevent you from eating ::chomp::" Anubis said as he began eating like a Saiyan.   
"Anubis, if you don't stop, they'll be nothing left for me!" Kento complained. 

Sage patted Kento on the shoulder. "Don't Worry Kento, I'm sure you've had enough." 

Kento crossed his arms and made a grumpy face as Anubis continued to stuff himself. 

"Has Kayura finished looking over the armor orb?" Sai asked.   
"She says it should be safe for Anubis to use, provided he doesn't try and power up. Though she is concerned about how a demon got in there to begin with." Dais explained.   
"I'll be fine! I knocked that Demon back before, and if necessary, I'll do it again. Not a problem!" Anubis said. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. 

"Don't get up, I'll get it..." Mia sighed, walking towards the door. "I should REALLY consider making them pay rent..." 

Upon reaching the door, she opened it to find Navcase wearing his armor. 

"Navcase? What are you doing here?" Mia asked.   
"No time to explain. May I come in, please? It is urgent that I speak with the Ronins." he replied.   
"Of course...come in." Mia said. "I'll go tell the guys." Mia said.   
"Thank you." Navcase said, weakly. 

Several minutes later, the remaining heroes and Forgotten Souls were gathered around the couch, where Navcase sat in a chair across from them. Mia came in with drinks for everyone; sodas for the guys; coffee for the Warlords; tea for Navcase. 

"So, what brings you here Navcase?" Anubis asked.   
"Excuse me a second." he said, standing up. 

He raised the Sword of Ryuujin to the sky dramatically, almost making a hole in the ceiling. 

"Return to your Power Confined!" he shouted, causing the sword to glow and the armor to vanish in a flash of light. Off camera, a young girl was being held back by a young boy wearing a green Chinese outfit, screaming something about ripping off her line. Navcase was clad in his traditional Kenshin garb, with a hooded cloak over it, making him look like a strange cross between Kenshin, Kamui, and a Jedi Knight. He removed his hood and let his long red hair run down his back. It looked like it had not been combed or brushed in a very long time, the kind of nightmare hairdo that Suiren would conquer in an instant. Mia noticed it had gotten longer since she last saw him. He took a sip of his tea and then spoke. 

"I have come to tell you something." Navcase explained. "It concerns my current predicament and that of the Draconai."   
"What about them?" Kale said. "We're beating them back. Anubis did most of it thanks to his little curse."   
"As much as you think you are beating those monsters, you are dead wrong. As I told you before, if you continued along this path you would never win. That is why I have been trying to aid you for these past few weeks."   
"How do you know this?" Dais asked. 

Navcase rose from his seat again and had Mia remove his cloak. He then removed his shirt to reveal...scales. The heroes gasped at the sight. His arms were also completely covered with scales as well. The heroes were too shocked to even speak. 

"I would show you the effects on my legs, but Destonus' broadcast standards will not allow it." Navcase explained. 

_(Several dozen drooling bishounen loving teenage girls snap their fingers in disgust because they can't see Navcase in his undies)___

"How did you get that way?" Sage said, finally breaking the silence. 

_(Flashback Begins)___

NAVCASE: Shortly after stealing the Draconai Armor of Ryuujin from Ceiphied, he attempted to get the armor back himself, only to find that it had been locked away from him. 

_(CUT TO: Clip from RWVSDBZ 16 plays, showing Ceiphied attempting to retrieve the armor and failing at the attempt)_

NAVCASE: Since he was unable to reclaim the armor...he figured he would have me suffer eternally in its place. 

_(CUT TO: A girl's scream and her calling out to Navcase as she is dragged away from him; Navcase being dragged before Ceiphied, him ripping out his heart and replacing it with an energist)___

NAVCASE: Ceiphied used his curse on me, but as an added bonus he put a delay on the spell so the duration would take several years before it took effect, turning me into a Draconai. I could only wait. 

_(Flashback ends)___

The group had listened quietly to Navcase's story; now Anubis spoke up. 

"Curse?"   
"Yes. That is how new Draconai are created. Perhaps I should start from the beginning...the Very beginning." 

_(Flashback II starts the events are illustrated as Navcase speaks)_

NAVCASE: Shortly after the initial battle between Drakka and Amaterasu and the sealing away of the Armors of Darkness, there was tension between the Nether Dragons of who would replace their leader, who had been sealed away in a pocket dimension by Amaterasu. There were two Nether Dragons vying for that title, the wise and ancient Yin Fang Sung, and a younger dragon by the name of Ji Ni Ti. The two battled, as was the custom. Ji Ni Ti lost the battle, and thus it was Yin Fang Sung you faced when Drakka's army attacked Earth. However, it did not end there. Ji Ni Ti was furious, and left Drakka's fortress, taking most of his supporters with him. Several months later, he and his allies attacked Drakka's fortress, but they were defeated painfully by Drakka's combined forces. Those that survived, including Ji Ni Ti himself, were brought before Drakka, who cast an evil spell upon them, stripping them of their Nether Dragon forms and confining them to humanoid bodies. He then cast them out. However, the warriors soon learned that they could assume their Dragon forms, despite what Drakka had said, and relentlessly attacked the palace. They were held back for an hour, before they returned to their cursed forms and fled again, setting up a base elsewhere, far from Drakka. He cast aside his former title and took the name of an ancient dragon God from another realm, and also declared himself and his clan the Draconai, which in ancient Nether Dragon roughly means "cursed dragon" 

"So what you're saying is, Ji Ni Ti became Ceiphied." Anubis said.   
"Yes." Navcase replied.   
"So what else is there about the Draconai that we need to know?" Rowen said.   
"Much. Sometime after the curse, Ceiphied learned that he could curse any humanoid into a Draconai. He also developed a variant that could resurrect fallen warriors. That is why it is so important to smash the energists." Navcase explained.   
"You mean those rose-like crystal thingies?" Kento said.   
"Yes. Those 'rose-like crystal thingies', as you so eloquently put it. The energists contain the souls of his warriors. If you smash them when you defeat a Draconai, he cannot resurrect them, and his numbers will slowly diminish."   
"Why do some Draconai die due to different attacks and some don't?" Sage asked.   
"An excellent question. The Draconai, possibly due to the curse, are divided into five clans: Fire, Earth, Lightning, Ice, and Poison. There is an Elite at the head of each of them, who wears a special armor that allows them to call on their breath weapons without being in Nether Dragon form. They are replaced as they are defeated. Always remember this; Earth and Poison, Fire and Ice. Lightning is its own opposite. That is how you defeat the Draconai." Navcase said.   
"What about Ceiphied?" Sai asked.   
"Ceiphied has the combined power of all the clans. He is also amazingly powerful, even more so when he has his sacred treasure back." Navcase said.   
"The armor." Dais said.   
"Yes. That is why he hates me so much. The only one he hates more is Drakka. He has recently become interested in an ancient legend, just before I escaped from his clutches."   
"What legend?" Rowen asked. 

Before Navcase could continue, Mia burst in. 

"Sorry for interrupting but I was just listening to the news, and the Draconai are out!" Mia exclaimed. 

Anubis switched on the TV, where live footage showed the Draconai marching down the street with Ceiphied in the lead. 

"Oh no. Ceiphied. I've got to stop him!" Navcase shouted. "Thank you for your hospitality." 

He headed for the door after grabbing Ryuujin. 

"Wait. Let us help you." Anubis said.   
"No. He wants me. I have a score to settle with him." Navcase explained, heading off. 

Navcase raced through the streets, the endurance of the Draconai making him faster. He knew Ceiphied had to be stopped...and he was the only one who could do it. But at least if he failed, the Ronins knew what they were doing now. 

Ceiphied and his warriors paraded down the streets of Toyama, blasting everything in their way. Nothing would stand in their way of Navcase. And destruction would be the one thing that brought him to them. He smiled as the noble warrior appeared at the end of the street. Navcase's stolen theme echoed through the air as the two faced off. 

"I see you still have my armor. Give it back." Ceiphied said casually.   
"Come get it." Navcase said, bringing out the sword. 

_(From Uncertainty to Impatience kicks up)_

Navcase and Ceiphied stared each other down. Navcase was ready with Ryuujin. Ceiphied stood in front of an army of Draconai who would tear Navcase to shreds in an instant. The tension grew. Navcase gripped his weapon tighter. Finally, Ceiphied broke the silence. 

"Get him." 

_(Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu kicks up)___

Navcase threw the sword aside and dashed with lightning speed towards the soldiers, cutting them down with swift strokes from his katana. The Sword of the Soaring Heavens was more than a match for the ancient dragons; he was simply too fast for them. In a matter of minutes the 30 or some Draconai sent at Navcase had all been taken down. Navcase stood there, brandishing his sword for a run-through, breathing heavily. 

"Well done. But I'm guessing you didn't plan for this." Ceiphied said, snapping his fingers. 

From the side streets and behind Ceiphied a swarm of Draconai charged at the warrior; faster than he could cut them down. A distant cry was heard and soon the groups were knocked back by a sure-kill barrage. Rowen and the others came out of their finished poses and ran up to increase Navcase's ranks. 

"I thought I told you this was my fight." Navcase said.   
"Everyone needs help now and then." Rowen answered.   
"True. Let's get them." Navcase said. 

The warriors fanned out and proceeded to fight the Draconai again. Navcase was impressed by the skill with which the Ronins and Warlords fought. 

"Navcase!" Kento called, as he attempted to hold off a group of Draconai that had surrounded him.   
"Yes!" Navcase called back, having trouble of his own.   
"How can you tell which clan is which?" Kento called.   
"By the coloring of their wardrobe!" Navcase shouted back. 

Kento looked at his opponents, and realized they had very light blue accents, almost like ice. He whipped out both his flame-throwers and fried them extra crispy. 

"ENOUGH!!! GRAB NAVCASE NOW!!!!" Ceiphied shouted. 

Several of his soldiers grabbed Navcase. When he resisted, one punched him in the chest, subduing him. He was dragged before a fuming Ceiphied. 

"They've got Navcase! We've got to help him!" Hariel shouted.   
"Armor of Deathscythe..." Anubis began.   
"No Anubis. Kayura told you not to." Dais warned. 

The sky began to darken as Ceiphied held his hand out to Navcase, who tried to resist. 

"O great evil from realms beyond...may the sands of time accelerate this process of torture, and bring it to a close!" Ceiphied chanted. 

Navcase screamed in pain as his neck and then his head became covered with scales. When he rose he was completely a Draconai. 

"NO!!!!!!!!!" Anubis shouted. 

Navcase smirked. And then broke into a full fledged laugh as a minion handed him the Sword of Ryuujin. 

"I Navcase, do reaffirm the Blood Pact made with the Draconai Armor, Ryuujin! Sleeping Dragon, awaken once more!" 

The armor once again was summoned forth. The twin emeralds on either shoulder glowed with energy as the Ronins prepared to flee. Navcase fired, knocking the heroes for a loop. They crashed to the ground as all that they heard was the combined laughter of Navcase and Ceiphied... 

**_This is the End of Part 1._**

**To be Continued...** ****

**Next Episode******

DAIS: Things have gotten really bad. Navcase is now a Draconai, and he's after us! 

KALE: When he attacks the Mansion, can we drive him off without killing him? And when Anubis calls upon his improved power for the first time, can he control himself? 

SUIREN: This is Suiren! Meanwhile, Ryo finally gets Sakura back! Will this spell trouble for the training? 

ANUBIS: It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Navcase, Emissary of the Draconai. You won't want to miss this one!   
  



	9. Navcase, Emissary of the Draconai

Rwdrw9 In the fortress of the evil Lord Ceiphied, the warriors cheered as Navcase came before them. Ceiphied smiled slyly. At last, he had one of the most powerful warriors alive under his complete control. Nothing could stop them now. Ceiphied led Navcase to his private chamber now, sealing it behind him, drowning out the cheers of the other Draconai. 

"Navcase...I am assuming that you will serve me well." Ceiphied said.   
"Indeed I will my lord." Navcase said, bowing to him.   
"Are you familiar with the Legend of the Seishi?" Ceiphied asked.   
"Should I be?" Navcase inquired.   
"Yes. There is a prophesy, that when the Earth has been completely overrun with evil, Seven Seishi, blessed by Amaterasu, will come forth and fight it. When they stand on the seven pillars surrounding Toyama, it is said that a young girl will be the key to calling Amaterasu herself to earth, to grant three wishes. However, this legend also speaks of seven evil warriors, blessed by Drakka's power, who will emerge to fight them.   
"I see. And your point is?" Navcase asked.   
"We can gather these seven Drakka Shichiseishi and summon Drakka on our own, and then make him our pawn and then destroy him and the fortress of Amaterasu, thus killing two birds with one stone." Ceiphied explained.   
"An excellent plan. Do we have any idea who they might be?" Navcase asked.   
"No. But I am guessing the mortal Mia Koji has some information on it. I trust you know where she is." Ceiphied said.   
"I do sir. I will go retrieve it at once." Navcase said, taking off, bringing several soldiers with him. 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 9: Navcase, Emissary of the Draconai** ****

"I can't believe they got Navcase!" Kento said, slamming his fist into the coffee table.   
"Calm down Kento. It's not the end of the world." Sai said.   
"It is if he's got one of the best swordsman on Earth helping him!" Kento shot back.   
"At least he was able to inform us of how to stop them now. They should be no match for us now." Sage said.   
"What we really need is Ryo." Rowen said.   
"He said he would return when his training was complete. He promised me." Anubis said.   
"Yeah, if we're not all blasted to kingdom come by the time he's done." Kale said.   
"You think so negatively Kale. There is no way that we couldn't win." Sekhmet said. "After all, the incredibly handsome and popular main characters always win." Sekhmet said.   
"You guys are comic relief!" Rowen said. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Mia went to get it and screamed. 

Meanwhile, back in the Heavens... 

Ryo slowly stepped towards Sakura's bedroom. He had been thinking about how he was going to chew her out for hours. It had to stop. He needed her help and that of the others in order to succeed here. He stepped up, nervously, to the door and knocked. 

"Sakura...I need to talk to you." Ryo said.   
"Go away. You know I can't see you. I'm still grounded." Sakura said through the door. 

Ryo focused. He threw the door open and confronted her. 

"Listen you...You've been nothing but a little brat since I got here. You pick on your sisters, you get jealous when I'm nice to them, for crying out loud, Ran's saying stuff behind your back! If that's not an indication I don't know WHAT IS! I loved you with all my heart...but I don't think I'm talking to the same girl. I want the old Sakura back." Ryo said. 

As Ryo started to turn to leave, he heard Sakura start to cry. The tears came quickly. 

"I'm sorry...It's just...I thought I'd never see you again...I missed you so much..." She said, hugging Ryo. "Now I'm a bitch..." 

Ryo knew that she was truly sorry for her actions. "No, no...you're not a bitch...I'm sorry too..."   
"No, no...I deserved it." Sakura said.   
"I missed you too..." Ryo said.   
"So I heard. Now where did we leave off? Oh yeah, now I remember." Sakura said. 

Tackling him on to her bed and kicking the door shut, she began to kiss Ryo for all he was worth to her. 

Meanwhile, back at the house. 

The Ronins rushed to Mia's aid to find Navcase clad in his armor standing at the door. 

"Hand over all the information you have on the Seishi Prophesy.." Navcase demanded.   
"Never!" Rowen shouted.   
"In that case..." Navcase said. "ATTACK!!!!!!" 

Several dozen Draconai stormed into the house, pushing the Heroes back. 

"Rowen! You and the others get Mia and Yuli out! Kale, Sekhmet, Dais, you handle the Draconai! Hariel! You and I will handle Navcase!" Anubis shouted. 

The other Forgotten Souls entered the fray and began beating back the Draconai while the Ronins led Mia away. Several Draconai attempted to go after her, but the Warlords got in their way and proceeded to push them back as well. 

"Navcase!" Hariel shouted as he parried a sword strike from him. "You've got to listen to us! You're not evil! Remember the battle against Crystónin? Remember everything we've done before you vanished?" Hariel shouted as they parried each other's blows.   
"Remember Yuriko!" he shouted. 

A beautiful Asian girl flashed through Navcase's mind, stunning him temporarily. A tear began to form in his eye. Anubis snuck up behind him to go for an attack, but Navcase whirled around and used Ryu Shou Sen to parry it. 

"Playtime is over..." Navcase said, gripping his sword in another stance. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu...Kuzu Ryu Sen!" Navcase shouted, flying at Anubis and nailing all nine vital points with a single attack. 

Meanwhile, outside, the Ronins, Mia, and Yuli had gotten clear of the house. 

"We gotta get Ryo back here now! No matter what!" Kento shouted.   
"I agree." Sai added.   
"Ryo probably has his reasons for staying, and he said he'd come back when he was ready." Sage said.   
"I'm with Sage. Ryo will come back when he's ready." Rowen said.   
"That is, if we're still around when he does!" Kento shouted. 

Suddenly, Anubis and Hariel came flying through the front door, crashing on the ground. 

"We've gotta stop him!" Rowen shouted. 

The four remaining Ronins charged Navcase with everything they had, but he simply swatted them away and proceeded for the computer. The Forgotten Souls in the meantime along with the Warlords had taken out all of his accompaniment, but Navcase continued to head for the computer. 

"I've got to stop him! Mukara!" Hariel said.   
"Armor of the Kikouteini!!!!!" they shouted, fusing into one armor and being. They blocked Navcase's path. 

"Take this! FLAMES FROM WITHIN!!!!" they shouted, knocking Navcase off his feet. The others quickly leapt on top of him and tackled him to the ground. But it did not last long, for Navcase rose with an angry draconian roar, knocking them away and then blasting the combined Hariel/Mukara, knocking them out of their Fusion. 

From the ground, Anubis watched this horror. He had to stop him but Navcase was too powerful now. He then heard a whisper. 

"Use it...You know you want to...it will allow you to win." a voice said.   
"No...I will not let you rule me a second time!" Anubis protested.   
"Look at your allies...they will soon be destroyed." 

Anubis saw his allies lying on the ground, some of them unconscious, others badly injured. Navcase inched slowly towards the computer. 

"Use it..." the voice whispered again. 

Anubis slowly rose to his feet. 

"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!" he shouted, his aura erupting with incredible power. "ARMOR OF THE DEATHSCYTHE HELL!!!!!" he shouted. The last word echoed off into nothing. His armor slowly morphed its shape and parts were added, and then he charged directly for Navcase, knocking him down. 

"Like you said, playtime is over." Anubis said. 

He backhanded the Draconai, knocking him away. Navcase fired his emerald blast at Anubis, but he retaliated with his own energy blast, knocking him back. He lifted his beam scythe and attacked again and again, only to have Navcase quickly parry him. He charged him, only to be drawn in by a slash and uppercutted with the other. 

"I WILL NOT LET YOU SUCCEED!!!!!" Anubis roared, glowing brightly as the transformation began once again. He roared angrily as he once again assumed his beast form.   
"Well well. Once again I see that demon has taken control of you. But you're no match for me!" 

Navcase charged up an energy bolt and hurled it at Anubis, who simply absorbed it and continued to grow in power. He then let the energy explode outward, knocking Navcase for a loop--and bringing the house down with it. Anubis suddenly vanished from sight as the house fell on him. 

"MY HOUSE!!!!" Mia shouted, looking at the rubble. Navcase managed to limp away.   
"Poor Anubis." Dais said. 

Suddenly, a very familiar warrior appeared, carrying her trusty staff. 

"Anubis is still alive." Kayura explained.   
"He is?" Kale asked.   
"Damn!" Sekhmet added. 

Dais whacked him upside the head. 

"I will take you to him. Hang on." Kayura shouted. 

She banged her staff into the ground, and instantly they were on the Isle of Mists. The place looked about the same as they had left it, desolate, empty. Kayura led them through the ruins to the Shrine of Amaterasu, where they found Anubis unconscious. 

Later... 

Hariel and the Forgotten Souls were recovering nicely despite their battle with the Draconai, and Anubis had finally woken up from his exhaustion. 

"Well, it's official. Navcase is one of them." Rowen said.   
"But why would Ceiphied want the notes?" Kento asked.   
"There's got to be some reason. We just don't know what yet." Dais said. 

Meanwhile... 

"My master, I apologize for my failure. Anubis was stronger than I anticipated." Navcase stated.   
"You may rest now Navcase. But you must get the notes, as they may tell who and where the Seishi are located."   
"I shall not fail my lord." 

In the Heavens... 

Ryo walked into the fighting area once again. He was still in his armor, not knowing what to expect. 

"Hey Ryo..." Sakura said as she entered in her Hardsuit. "Ready to learn how to really fight?"   
"Ready as I'll ever be." Ryo said. 

Sakura reached in back and pulled out her swords. 

"Then let's begin." 

The two flew at each other, and their blades clashed as they reached each other. 

**To be Continued...** ****

**Next Episode**   
**** ****

RYO: Hey, it's me Ryo! Amaterasu ups the stakes in my training when she summons anime's greatest dead warriors to train me, but can I take her down myself? Meanwhile, the guys launch a three-prong attack on Ceiphied's fortress, but can they still stop Ceiphied? There's one more thing, but I can't say anything. It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Preemptive Strike. Don't miss it!   



	10. Pre-Emptive Strike

rwdrw10 Several weeks had passed since Ryo had begun his official training with the girls. He slowly felt his strength increasing. The Draconai would be no match for him, or for his allies. Soon Amaterasu would send him back to Earth and he would be able to stop Navcase. With him as one of Ceiphied's most loyal minions, the Ronins were at a severe disadvantage. His incredible sword skill put them at an incredible disadvantage. As the leader and strongest, he would have no choice but to defeat Navcase. But could he do it? 

Ryo stepped into the training area, expecting to find Sakura waiting for him. But she was nowhere to be found. Instead, a large, muscular gentleman in white, with black hair was standing there instead. Over one of his shoulders was a jug of sake. His shoulders were draped in a gigantic mantle that went down his back, making him all the more imposing. 

"I take it you are Amaterasu's stupid pupil." The gentleman said.   
"I guess so." Ryo replied.   
"Do you have any idea who I am?" the man asked.   
"Not exactly."   
"As you know, the warrior known as Navcase is the 5th Successor of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. I know from personal experience, that this style is devastating to anyone foolish enough to underestimate a master of the style. Amaterasu has summoned me here to educate you on what you'll be up against, though I doubt you'll be able to withstand the attacks. The education begins now." 

The gentleman removed his mantle, revealing his numerous muscles. He drew his sword from his wooden sheath and went into a stance. 

"I will begin with the technique that is my favorite and that I am best at." He replied. 

Gripping his sword and flying at Ryo in a blur of nine kanji, he called out… 

"HITEN MITSURUGI RYU!!!!! KUZU RYU SEN!!!!!" 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 10: Pre-emptive Strike**

  


"Okay, so far, we're loosing. They've got Navcase, they significantly outnumber us, not to mention without Ryo we can't call White Neo Mega." Rowen recapped.   
"Plus, our only major advantages are my mega power…which is dangerous, and the Forgotten Souls." Anubis added.   
"Yes. But we've got to do something to try and stop them. We should attempt a Pre-emptive strike on Ceiphied to try and weaken him." Anubis suggested.   
"But that's suicide!" Sai protested.   
"All of them against the few of us?" Sage wondered. "That's not good."   
"We have to try. We don't know when Ryo's coming back." Kento reminded them.   
"An attack like this is the only option we have. If we just let his forces increase slowly but surely we're going to be at a real disadvantage. We must try and strike now." Dais said.   
"I agree. That, and stop Navcase." Kale added.   
"Precisely." Sekhmet said.   
"Okay. It's settled. Hariel, you take the Forgotten Souls and hit their base hard with your sure-kills and Dark Inferno. The Ronins and I will go around back and cause a diversion, allowing Anubis and the Warlords to move in and finish them off. Let's go." Rowen said. 

The group with much fanfare summoned their almighty armors and flew off towards the military base that Ceiphied had managed to take over. At Rowen's command, the Forgotten Souls peeled off and headed for the front of the base. Those that lacked flight capabilities leapt down from Dark Inferno and prepared for their attacks. Hariel opened fire with machinecannon fire, missiles, and every other weapon his machine had, alerting the Draconai to their presence. 

"Master Ceiphied!" Kouen shouted, rushing into Ceiphied's chamber. "We are under attack!"   
"Fight back! Navcase, prepare your men for combat." Ceiphied stated.   
"As you wish my lord." Navcase said, walking off. 

The main doors opened and the Ishibiya Corps charged out, aiming their weapons at Dark Inferno. Before they could fire, they were knocked back by the sure-kills of the Forgotten Souls. 

"Ready? CHARGE!" Saber Strike shouted, the numerous immortal ones heading at the Draconai at high speed. They began to strike and parry the blows coming towards them as the Draconai fought back. As one went down, another came at them again. Darts flew, swords clashed against claws, staffs sliced through, and boomerangs knocked down still others. The conflict went on for several minutes, before an explosion rocked the rear of the base! 

"They're coming in from behind! ATTACK!!!!" Kouen ordered. 

His clan charged at the Ronins who had just blasted their way in using Rowen's gigantic twin barreled master key. Rowen put it away, gripped his staff, and charged at Kouen with incredible speed, but the Draconai Elite blocked with his claws. Kouen called upon his fire breath, torching the heroes extensively. 

"We've got to stop them guys! They may be tough, but we're tougher!" Rowen shouted.   
"Super WAVE SMASHER!!!!" Sai shouted, nailing Kouen with a water attack that caused him to scream in pain. 

"How dare you!" He shouted, summoning a flame tornado that lifted up Sai and slammed him into the ground, knocking him out. 

"Sai!" Kento shouted. 

He brought out his twin bladed staff and headed for Kouen, but dodged by going airborne and rained a flame blast down on Kento. He held up his shield to try and block, but it began to melt. He fired his dragon fang out, and grabbed Kouen in midair, and sent him into a wall before retracting. Kouen attempted to get up, but the blow was too much for him.   


Meanwhile, the Forgotten Souls had managed to do considerable damage and were about to finish them off by smashing their energists, when Koureha stepped forward. He was set to freeze them all, but Vulcan fire came out of nowhere as the Warlords entered the picture. 

"Get them!" Koureha shouted, sending hordes of his own clan forward to stop the Warlords' advance. Anubis brought out his scythe. Kale lit his sword. Sekhmet prepared his own blades, and Dais readied his own saber. 

Back on the other side, Rakurai had stepped forward, and his clan prepared to fight against the Ronins. 

"You are fools! You will never wi…" 

Suddenly he was knocked out! A familiar but now evil form stepped forward. 

"Pathetic. Let's see how you do against me." Navcase said, bringing out his sword of Ryuujin. 

"I've got him!" Kento shouted, charging at high speed.   
"Kento Wait!" Rowen called, but it was too late. 

Kento swung his blade, but Navcase parried perfectly. He tried to hit him with the other end, but Navcase again parried. He rocketed skyward and crashed down on Kento, taking him down. Sai lunged at him, but he used Ryu Kan Sen to get behind him and whack him in the back of the neck with his sword. Sage readied his own blade, charged, and went airborne, but Navcase went to Gatousu Third Stance and slashed directly upward, nailing him. 

"Who's next?" Navcase asked. 

Back in the Heavens… 

Ryo was getting pummeled. This strange man, Seijuro Hiko, 13th Successor of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, had demonstrated technique after technique on Ryo, waiting for him to actually block the attacks. But Ryo was having a very hard time. Hiko's supreme speed was unbelievable. He slowly but painfully began to understand why Navcase was so dangerous in combat. This guy was right. It was the black ship on the shore. Hiko stopped suddenly. 

"I have hit you with almost every attack of the style, and yet you have not blocked ONE? My stupid pupil could at least do that." Hiko said, sheathing his sword.   
"Can we take a break?" Ryo asked, his armor badly beaten.   
"No! For there is one technique left!" 

Ryo gasped in surprise and his jaw dropped. 

"WHAT? You haven't hit me with all the techniques?"   
"I said I hit you with ALMOST every attack of the style. You really need to pay more attention. Especially because at some point in the fight Navcase is bound to use it."   
"Will this one hurt too?" Ryo asked.   
"Yes. Very much." Hiko said, smiling evilly. 

Hiko took a stance with his sword sheathed. 

"Now. Use the Kuzu Ryu Sen against me." 

Ryo charged screaming at the top of his lungs, exactly as Hiko had demonstrated. However, he was not prepared for what happened next. Hiko drew his sword at an astounding rate, causing a vacuum that drew him in for a second strike that launched him skyward and caused him to crash painfully into the ground. 

"That is the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki, the ultimate technique in the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu style. Be fortunate that I have elected to demonstrate this to you. I am a very busy man."   
"Um, is there any way to defend against this?"   
"No! It is the ultimate technique of the style!" Hiko declared. "My advice is that you beat Navcase before he attempts it, but the way you fight, that's not happening. I had to fight to stay awake, for your Kenki is so miniscule compared to mine." Hiko said. 

His words struck a chord with Ryo. He had managed to win even Sakura's respect, even after she creamed him continuously. He would not let this sake-drinking, rude, obnoxious mantled moron insult him. His anger flared. 

"WEAK!!!!!!? I'LL SHOW YOU WEAK!!!!!!!!!!!" Ryo shouted at the top of his lungs. His aura flared up so that it was actually visible and he glowed with power. Hiko was shocked at this display. 

"Perhaps…with me being the 13th successor and my pupil too stupid to devise anything worthwhile, I can develop some sort of counter to the ougi that Navcase would not expect…but there is someone else who wishes to teach you now." Hiko said, heading off elsewhere in the palace as Amaterasu stepped up. 

"Hello Ryo. Your next opponent is…me!" Amaterasu shouted, charging at Ryo with her own blade. He was barely able to block her advances. Age was on her side. Ryo tried to parry every blow, barely connecting in time. Amaterasu was quite powerful, more so than he anticipated. He could see the similarities in technique between the girls and her, so it was now obvious who taught them to fight. But Ryo was screwed if he was unable to fend her off. He suddenly blacked out as he felt his aura rise to an outstanding level and a flash of fire flew from him. 

"At last…" Amaterasu said as she was nailed by the blast. 

Meanwhile… 

Anubis and the others rushed towards the Ronins, who were slowly but surely having their asses kicked by Navcase. His combined assault with Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu and the secret Gatousu technique was no match for the heroes. He cut them all down with his emerald blasts, just as Anubis arrived on the scene. 

"There is only one choice. ARMOR OF THE DEATHSCYTHE HELL!!!!!" Anubis shouted. 

In a matter of minutes, his extremely evil armor had been called and he charged at Navcase, managing to parry his Draconai strength. He punched him in the face, knocking him back. 

"YOU ARE WEAK!!!" the demon said.   
"I must fight…back…" Anubis said, trying to fend off Navcase long enough for the others to get away. 

Rowen carefully took aim at Navcase. If he succeeded, Navcase would be down and out. However, if he missed, they would loose Anubis. Dais pushed the gun down. 

"I'll take him." 

Opening up his Megasonic Cannon, he charged, and fired, with Navcase's AT Field barely blocking the blow, sending him flying. Navcase was furious. He and the Elite relentlessly pummeled the heroes, weakening them with every blow. Damage was done to their armors. Anubis watched in horror; and then his anger flared, transforming him into the monster. Fighting to stay in control, he twirled his staff above his head, and jammed it into the ground, sending an eruption up from the ground that knocked the evil ones back, immolating them as well. Anubis then vanished once again. The others managed to escape after Anubis' attack and also retreated. A very unhappy and furious Ceiphied greeted the fallen Draconai. 

"This is horrible. They're too strong!" Kento said.   
"Enough is enough. We must try to contact Ryo." Anubis said. "I don't know how much longer I can hold out." 

Kayura was summoned, and she used her magic to open a window to the Heavens. Ryo soon appeared. 

"Hey guys! What's up?" he asked.   
"Ryo!" the others exclaimed.   
"We need your help, real bad man. Come back!" Rowen begged.   
"I'm really sorry guys…but I can't help you there…" Ryo said sadly.   
"Why not?" Kento asked. "We're getting creamed here."   
"I'm not sure…but all this time with the girls, and being with Sakura…has made me realize how much she needs me." Ryo said.   
"Ryo, you said you would return to us as soon as your training was complete." Anubis said.   
"I'm sorry guys…but Sakura needs me…I might even marry her." 

The group watched as she walked into the room, apparently overhearing Ryo's conversation. 

"Ryo…" Sakura said, both happy, but at the same time surprised. 

**To Be Continued…**

**Next Episode**

SAKURA: It's me. Well, this is something I wasn't expecting. Ryo's either really in love with me or he's completely lost his mind. Maybe Hiko's blows jarred his brain a little. I don't care, Hijikata's still cooler…but anyway, Mom and I have our work cut out for us as we attempt to convince Ryo otherwise in Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Ryo's Reckoning. Don't miss it!   
  
  
  
  


  
  



	11. Ryo's Reckoning

rwdrw11 Yes, after many weeks of waiting, I'm back...   


Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 11: Ryo's Reckoning 

Sakura stood there, shocked at what Ryo had just said. Did he really mean to marry her? Or had all those blows from Hiko given him a concussion? She had to know. 

"Ryo..." she said suddenly, getting the attention of the hero. He looked towards her. "Did you really mean..."   
"Yes...I love you, Sakura Kamino." Ryo said. 

Sakura's heart stopped. Ryo was serious. This was not good. Turning, she ran off, past her sisters who were enjoying themselves, a million emotions running through her head. Ryo had asked for her hand in marriage...she had no idea what to do. Accept? Decline? Tell him he had lost his mind? She had no clue. She ran to Amaterasu, who embraced her scared, yet confused daughter. 

"What's wrong Sakura?" Amaterasu asked.   
"Ryo...Ryo...Ryo...he asked..." she said, sobbing.   
"What dear?" Amaterasu inquired gently.   
"me to marry him..." Sakura explained. "We've got to convince him otherwise..."   
"Yes. I know. My latest reconnaissance has shown that the Draconai grow stronger and larger by the day, especially with the aid of Navcase. Their only hope right now is Ryo." Amaterasu explained.   
"But how are we going to make him realize? Cooping him up here for the past few weeks has just made him rekindle his love for me...same for me. But I can wait...he can't...There has to be some way to get him to go back to Earth..." Sakura thought.   


Meanwhile, back on Earth... 

"Okay, let's recap the situation. Ryo doesn't want to come back, Anubis has a dangerous power, Ceiphied's got Navcase, which is a major problem, they're getting stronger, their base is more fortified, we're all screwed..." Kento said before Rowen stopped him.   
"Kento, I said recap, not catastrophize." Rowen commented.   
"I don't think we should bring him back yet. We bring Ryo back now, he's in a worse situation then we were back when the Mystic Knights showed up." Sai said.   
"Yet on the other hand, Ryo's probably much stronger now after training up there, so it would be good if he came back." Sage said.   
"Thus far, our trump cards, despite Deathscythe Hell being extremely dangerous to me and us, are getting weaker against them. In many cases, it has been the only way we have survived. Perhaps White Neo Mega would allow us to even the score, as the Forgotten Souls should remain here to protect Mia and Yuli." Anubis explained.   
"Yeah, but to summon him, we need Ryo, and Ryo's kinda dead right now." Kento said.   
"We need Ryo back...soon." Rowen said. 

Meanwhile, up in Heaven... 

"Ryo..." Sakura said as she entered his room again.   
"Oh, there you are Sakura. What date should we do it?" Ryo asked.   
"What..."   
"When should we get married? Do you have any ideas on what color the dresses should be?"   
"Ryo...you're done training...your friends need you there..." Sakura tried to explain.   
"Sakura...you don't understand...I'm happier here...no fighting...for the first time in my life I'm truly happy...I don't have to worry about anything...I'm in a beautiful place, With a beautiful girl...you..." 

Now Sakura understood why he did not wish to go back. He wanted to stay here, away from all the cares in the world. He seemed not to care. There was only one thing to do. 

It was worse than she had anticipated. Something had to be done. Something she wished she did not have to do. She walked up to Ryo, and did the one thing she thought she would never do. 

She slapped him. Ryo reeled from the blow, and tears began to come to her eyes... 

"You're nothing but a self-centered jerk!" she said, sniffling. "The Ryo I know, or should I say, knew..." she said, sniffling more, "fought alongside his friends, even though he knew it was hopeless...even gave his life so that they would live..." she said, trying to fight back the tears. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAN I LOVED???" Sakura screamed, her screams turning into sobs as she broke down crying. 

"Sakura..." Ryo said, as her face sank into his shoulder, placing his arm around her, trying to comfort her as she continued to cry. 

She pushed him away, with an angry look on her face. He hated that icy death glare, the one that made her the Devil Girl. 

"Do you have any idea what's going on down there? Well, you're gonna find out." 

Sakura grabbed Ryo and dragged him to Amaterasu's vision room. There, he saw all that had transpired between the Ronins and Draconai, and far beyond that. 

"The Draconai are cursed Nether Dragons that were thrown out by Drakka. Ceiphied for centuries has wanted a rematch with Drakka." Amaterasu explained. 

Ryo stood there in shock. Drakka? 

"Yes. That Drakka. You know full well he cares nothing for the Mortal Realm. Ran tells me you read the Legend of the Seishi...were you aware that there are seven Seishi for Drakka as well?" 

Ryo shook his head. 

"The Seishi may be the key to victory in this fight...we must hope they show themselves soon." Amaterasu said. 

She waved her hand, changing the image to Ceiphied's base, where a massive offensive was being organized, led of course, by Navcase. 

_(Ryo's Theme kicks up)___

"I have to get back...they're in trouble! I have to save them!" 

Amaterasu smiled. 

"How could I have been such an idiot...Sakura, I'm sorry...I still love you, to that point, as I said...but I can wait until this is over...I want my friends at the wedding." Ryo said. 

Sakura began to cry a little. 

"Very good Ryo. Then let us prepare for your departure." Amaterasu said. 

A particular mantled individual entered and handled Ryo a scroll. 

"This contains the manual for the counterattack to the ougi. Perhaps you'll be able to pull it off, unlike my stupid pupil." Hiko explained. 

Back at Ceiphied's... 

The hundreds upon hundreds of Draconai knelt before their master in homage. 

"My loyal Draconai...now is the time we exterminate the sole opposition to our resurrection of Drakka! Kill them all! Especially the one who has the power of a demon! Fight to the death! Let nothing stand in your way! Fly now! Fly now to the Isle of Mists!!! AND DESTROY THEM ALL!!!!" 

One by one, the clans arched their backs, their wings breaking free of the membranes and extending outward, before they flapped them and rose into the air, in a huge Pearl Harbor-esque swarm, with Navcase in the lead, clad in Ryuujin. Off in the distance, the Isle loomed, its inhabitants unaware of the incoming attack. 

**To Be Continued...** ****

**Next Episode******

Hey Everyone! This is Ryo! Amaterasu gets me back to Earth, but can I get to the guys before Navcase and his group kill them all? Huh? What's this weird feeling? It's like when I fought Amaterasu... 

It's the next episode, Wings of Flame. Don't miss it! 


	12. Wings of Flame

Rwdrw12 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 12: Wings of Flame**

  
  
  
  
  


Shrouded deeply in mists, the Isle on which the heroes made their home was quiet. Yesterday they had discussed Ryo's decision to not return to them and stay with Sakura. A few were for it, the rest opposed, and others with no opinion at all. The sun rose over the ancient sanctuary, as the heroes slept soundly, unawares of the impending doom that was on its way. 

The Forgotten Souls, as usual, had gathered around the island, to protect it and warn the heroes of any problems. Atop one cliff, Hariel stood, his large and powerful Dark Inferno standing behind him, armed to the teeth. The hero yawned, tired from the night's watch. In a few minutes Saber Strike would come to relieve him of his watch. That was reassuring. He looked out towards the rising sun, and noticed a large black cloud headed towards the island. 

"Probably a flock of birds…" he thought. But he noticed they were headed for the island. And they were getting closer still. 

Thinking something might be up, he climbed into Dark Inferno and zoomed in with the highest possible magnification. His jaw dropped in shock. 

The Draconai. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. All flying, all headed for the island, with Navcase out in front. This was far from good. The last thing he noticed was the emeralds on Navcase's shoulders charging up and firing on him. He barely leapt out of Dark Inferno before the damage was inflicted. He grimaced in pain as he felt the full effects of Dark Inferno's injuries. He was bleeding. He looked at the robot. Most of the chest plating was damaged, he could see that in some places the armor had been blown away to show the circuitry within. 

"Dark Inferno! Let's go!" Hariel called. The large lumbering robot walked behind him as he stumbled down the cliff path. He dove and slammed into the ground as a blast from their cannons struck the ground. 

"Destroy Hariel!" Navcase ordered as the Draconai began to circle above him. They rained blast after blast down on Hariel, which the injured warrior barely dodged. 

"Concentrate all your firepower on that machine! Killing it will kill him!" Navcase ordered his troops. 

The Draconai flourished their arms towards the machine and fired Chi blast after Chi Blast. The Ishibiya Corps fired again and again, damaging Dark Inferno, and, in turn, injuring Hariel through the machine's vampiric connection. 

"Keep firing! Ceiphied said leave no one alive!" Navcase ordered. "Finish him off!"   
"WINGED ANGEL OF DEATH!!!!!!!" a voice bellowed. 

Out of nowhere a powerful blast of energy killed off several members of Kouen's clan. Saber Strike, as well as the other Forgotten Souls, had heard the explosions and had come to the rescue. 

"What are your orders Hariel?" Saber Strike asked.   
"Get Dark Inferno out of here…Saranbo, go find the Ronins and warn them…"   
"They already know." 

From off camera a beam of death erupted, taking out still more, but there were thousands left. 

"Open fire!" Rowen shouted. 

The Ronins, all clad in their Mecha Armors, unloaded every ounce of ordinance they had on the Dragons. The creatures began dropping like flies as they were shot down. Navcase's anger flared and he fired an emerald blast at them, throwing the heroes off. 

"To the Ground! We're too vulnerable in the air!" Navcase ordered, canceling his wings and dropping several feet per second before using his verniers to touch down gently. 

"Attack!" Rowen shouted, the Ronins putting away or retracting their cannons and breaking out their beam weapons, and charging at the horde of soldiers that began to land, cutting them down, only to have more land in their place. 

Rowen was worried. Sure, the heroes had lots of skill, and their technological terrors had held off many Draconai before. But with this many, and Navcase in the lead…Could they win? 

Meanwhile, up in the Heavens… 

"Well, I guess this is good-bye." Ryo said. "Amaterasu, thanks for letting me train here. It was an honor."   
"Thank you Ryo. It was an honor to train you." She replied. 

He turned to Ran, who had begun to cry. He picked up one of her tears with his finger and lifted it from her check. 

"Don't cry. I'll be back soon." Ryo said.   
"Just don't die this time!" she cried.   
"Thanks for all the good food. I enjoyed it."   
"You're welcome." Ran said, who was quickly embraced by Yuri, and began to sob. 

He next turned to Suiren. She had been quite beneficial these past few weeks, in keeping him neat and tidy, as well as a challenge with her no-daichi. 

"You show those Dragons, okay? You weren't here for all this time to screw up." She replied.   
"I'll make sure to." Ryo said. "I've grown stronger this whole time." 

He turned to Ayame next. She had also been there, and his arrival had caused many problems between him and Sakura. But those were all behind them. 

"Sorry about everything." Ryo said.   
"It's okay…" Ayame said. "It's partially my fault."   
"No, don't blame yourself. It's my fault." Ryo said. "I didn't realize Sakura had changed so much." 

As he turned to his girl, he whispered. "Rowen still wants you." 

Next, was Sakura. Dressed, in her tight pants and trenchcoat, she looked the part of intimidating. But her face said otherwise. She was fighting back tears. 

"It was really nice to get to know you better, and to see you again. You'll keep her happy, right?" Ryo asked her sisters.   
"You got it." Ayame said.   
"Even though you don't have a place here yet…" She started to say, choking up a little, "You'll always have a place...here." Sakura swallowed hard as she put her hand over her heart.   
"I know…it'll be hard without you around…but I'll try."   
"I think I might have something that might help…" Sakura said. 

Reaching around her neck, she removed her pendant, and placed it around his neck. 

"Now every time you wear it…" she said, still fighting back tears, "you'll think of me."   
"I just wish I had something that I could give to you." Ryo said sadly.   
"I have your old armor…okay, it's changed a bit…" Sakura said. 

Ryo gave her a puzzled look. She chuckled a bit. "Okay, a lot," she said blushing. "But most importantly…" she said, starting to cry, "I have your heart." 

"Sakura…" Ryo said, embracing her. He held her tight as she began to sob.   
"Ryo…we're running out of time." Amaterasu explained.   
"I've got to go now." Ryo said.   
"Okay." Sakura said softly. 

He let go of her and headed towards Amaterasu, before he heard Sakura speak again. 

"Wait." 

Drawing him close again, their eyes met, as she gave him a long good-bye kiss. 

"Bye." Ryo said.   
"Bye." Sakura repeated. 

Amaterasu opened a portal, and Ryo stepped towards it. 

"This will get you pretty close to the Check-In Station. Tell the others that their armors grow stronger if they feel the need to better serve their wearer. They can feel their emotions; that's why Anubis' armor upgraded. But you must hurry. The attack has already begun and your friends are loosing badly." 

Everyone wished him good luck and Ryo leapt through, the portal disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. 

Sakura felt herself begin to loose it. She had tried hard to keep from crying again…but she could not hold back any longer. The tears came rolling quickly as her sisters rushed to comfort her. 

Ryo appeared about halfway down Snake Way and began racing down it at high speed. A man in orange with black spiky hair leapt out of the way and almost fell off as Ryo flew past him towards King Yama's. 

"Hey! Watch it!' the man shouted. "Jerk!" 

Ryo smiled as he saw the end, or rather the beginning come up suddenly in front of him. He ran in, zooming by several other dead people waiting in line, straight towards Kayura, who was waiting for him. He grabbed her hand and instantly, they were at Talpa's palace. 

"The others are on the Isle of Mists. The Draconai appeared and launched a sneak attack. You've got to hurry." Kayura explained. 

Ryo summoned his armor and rocketed out, heading towards the island at breakneck speed. He hoped he would not get there too late. 

But things were not looking good for the heroes. Navcase's forces were only slowly being decimated. Most of the Forgotten Souls had been defeated and had fallen back towards the shrine. The Ronins had managed to get in a few good sure-kills, but the rest had been blocked by the Draconai's AT Fields. They were quickly running low on ammo and power for their weapons. They needed a miracle, soon. 

Navcase had ordered the forces to spread out, destroying everything they could. A large group was heading directly for Mia and Yuli. Others had backed the Ronins to the Shrine of Amaterasu. Navcase smiled. Victory would soon be his. Suddenly, his senses picked up the Chi signature of someone, one he had not felt in a long time…"It couldn't be…" He thought to himself. "Could it?" 

On the other end of the Isle, Ryo touched down in his Mecha Armor, he quickly shed it and stood in his sub-armor. 

"This is it. No turning back now. I just hope all that training is enough." Ryo said as he surveyed the situation. 

"Time to go to work." He said to himself. 

He moved his arm out in the first motion of the kata. 

"Armor of White Neo Wildfire…" He began, as he felt the ground begin to shake. He found it odd. That usually did not happen.   
"TAO JIN JIN!!!!!!" He screamed, as his aura flared up, grabbing the attention of Navcase. 

"I was right! Koureha, take your men and investigate!" Navcase ordered. 

Several Draconai ran off. Koureha was in the lead. He would prove to Ceiphied's right claw man that he was worthy of this mission. He would kill this infidel and report back to Navcase. He and his warriors looked up and saw a white glint fall from above and land in front of him. 

"Kill him!" Koureha shouted. 

The soldiers ran from behind him and charged straight at Ryo. They were smiling. There could not be another Ronin stronger than the Anubis Demon Thing. 

They were wrong. 

Ryo whipped out his swords in a blur and tore into them. Every slash they made was parried and a slash from Ryo accompanied it. Every time was knocked down, they charged him again, only to be knocked down again. At the end of a few minutes, Koureha's minions were covered from head to toe in scars, bleeding to various degrees. But Ryo did not have a scratch on him. Koureha, furious, charged at the hero, making angry claw swipes at Ryo. Ryo fought back harder. He was tougher than the others were. 

"He must be one of those Elite Amaterasu mentioned." Ryo thought to himself. He remembered back to what Ayame had told him once. 

"Ceiphied's army is divided into five Clans. Kouen's Clan controls Fire. Koureha's Clan controls Ice. Gantassai's Clan controls stone. Rakurai's controls Lightning. And Gekidoku's controls Poison. To defeat them, remember this: Earth and Poison…" 

"Fire and Ice!" Ryo exclaimed suddenly. He took his twin swords and placed them together. The Draconai were caught off guard and watched him curiously. They had never seen the Ronins do this before. 

Ryo began to focus all of his Chi, as Sakura had shown him when he proved himself worthy of her. "gather all your life force and channel it through your swords. Recite the power word one syllable at a time…" 

"Chou…" their voices said together. "An…" the ground began to shake once again as energy poured into the spot. "Do!" He finished, at the moment he spoke, his blades erupted in flame that shot from the hilt to the edge of the blade. Ryo shot into the air, leaving a small crater in the ground. He soared high above them. The Draconai thought they had lost their minds, but Ryo was glowing red as well as purple, and they saw wisps of flame extending out from his back. 

"FLARE UP…" Ryo shouted, the Chi output increasing second by second. "NOW!!!!!!!!" he shouted, letting the energy loose. 

A giant fireball of flame starting from him erupted outward, engulfing the Draconai soldiers and vaporizing them almost instantly in the hot flame. A huge explosion ensued, which Navcase was almost knocked back by. How could someone have that much power? It seemed to be flame…that could only mean one thing… 

The Ronins saw it too. Though weak, they were filled with new energy instantly when they knew who it was. Only one warrior could do that. 

"Ryo's back! He must have changed his mind!" Rowen shouted, fighting back with new strength against the Draconai. "Let's give him some help!" 

Ryo raced across the Isle towards his friends. Along the way, he slashed down Draconai after Draconai, smashing their energists. He suddenly tripped over something. He smiled as he recognized the object. 

It was his twin buster rifle. 

With new energy, Ryo shed his White Neo Armor and called upon his Mecha Armor once again, setting off yet another power surge. After the battle, Ayame had managed to repair it to perfect working order. He plugged it into his armor's power supply and charged towards the troops that had gathered to keep him from Navcase, charging up ki blasts to waste him. Ryo dramatically rocketed into the air, and began a flip in midair, firing the cannon again and again. When he completed his flip and landed on the other end, there were nothing but charred Draconai bodies. He had shot them all. 

He ran up to where Navcase had backed the Ronins up. 

"NAVCASE!!!!" Ryo shouted. "Only one of us is getting off this island…and you're gonna have to go through me." Ryo said, brandishing his swords.   
"Why would you sacrifice yourself so recklessly for these fools?" Navcase asked.   
"That's a question you should ask yourself Navcase. There was a time when you were honorable, and noble…what are you now?" Ryo demanded.   
"That's quite Simple…" Navcase said, powering up his emeralds.   
"Ryo look out!" Kento shouted.   
"A DRACONAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Navcase screamed, firing at Ryo, knocking him down.   
"I don't want to fight you Navcase…" Ryo said, getting to his feet. "But I will if I have to." 

Navcase laughed. "Your chances are slim or nonexistent. My training in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu and Gatousu, along with my power as a Draconai makes me more powerful than you." He said, preparing himself.   
"The odds may be against me…but I've been busy too. I won't let Amaterasu down!" Ryo declared.   
"I seem to recall Anubis mentioning that at some point. But even that will not be enough to defeat me in my current state." 

He looked at Ryo, brandishing his sword, with his poker face of determination staring at him. He suddenly realized that it was true. 

"Well then Wildfire…Let's see how much you've learned." Navcase said. 

Navcase reached to his back and grabbed his collapsed Sword of Ryuujin from his back. He held it in front of his chest and the blade extended to full length. He brandished it in front of him and took Gatousu first stance. 

"Let's go." 

Navcase lunged at Ryo quickly, barely giving him time to dodge out of the way. Navcase held his sword above his head and crashed down, forcing Ryo to desperately block. 

"This is interesting," Ryo thought. "He's not even trying anything major. But he keeps hitting harder and harder. I'll have to stretch out my endurance." 

Navcase slashed again, managing to leave a mark in Ryo's shoulder guard. 

"Okay, a lot harder..." Ryo thought. 

Ryo was being driven back with blow after blow. He then realized what Navcase was trying to do. Push him off the cliff! He had to get behind Navcase. But how? Navcase was strong, and the armor made him slightly less maneuverable. But he had to try. Ryo pressed a button on his sword, retracting the blade and igniting the beam capability, he sliced cleanly across Ryuujin's chestplate, causing Navcase to reel back. Ryo then flew towards him, leapt up, and kicked off his head, triple flipping to land behind him. Ryo switched his blade back to normal, grateful that Sakura had taught him that trick. 

"Had enough?" Ryo asked Navcase, as he finally got back to his stance.   
"Hardly." Navcase replied, bracing his sword above the ground. 

Ryo was confused. He remembered that the mantled rude guy, Hiko had shown him every possible move that Navcase could possibly use. Navcase did not know that. He racked his brain for the technique that he was going to use...there were so many...and so painful, to remember the differences between them and the major amounts of hurt they did to Ryo's body, a fact that Ryo was once again grateful he was dead at the time... 

"Dou Ryu Sen!" Navcase shouted, slicing his sword to the ground, kicking up dirt and rocks that knocked Ryo onto his back. As he struggled to get up he saw Navcase rocket skyward and hold his sword up for a blow from above...Ryu Tsui Sen, he remembered, was what Hiko called it. He could stop that. But suddenly Navcase rearranged his hands, pointing his sword downward, holding it like a pool cue! Hiko had not told him about this move! 

Ryo cringed in pain as he struggled to roll out of the way, but Navcase landed too quickly and drove his sword into the back of his right shoulder using Gatousu Second Stance. Blood began to trickle out from the hole in the armor as Ryo strained to get himself to his feet again, before Navcase blasted him back with his emeralds, causing Ryo to collide into a Romanesque pillar. Ryo got to his feet again, trying to fight off the ringing in his head as Navcase launched into the air again, but his stance was not the same. This time he was going for Ryu Tsui Sen. And Ryo knew what could possibly stop that. Hiko had explained that most warriors had a blind spot for airborne attacks, but in the event that an opponent tried one, there was a move to stop it. And Ryo had experienced it firsthand--Hiko's very painful trademark. He felt sorry for whomever Hiko called his "Stupid Pupil". 

"Ryu Shou Sen!" Ryo called out as he slashed upward, colliding with Navcase's incoming Ryu Tsui Sen, knocking the armored form away from him as Ryo stood there, panting. 

Navcase was shocked. How did he know this? How could he know this? He had held back most of his strength as his teacher, the 4th Hiko, had suggested, when performing the ougi; his master had survived, but died soon after passing it on. He had passed the technique on to the 6th successor as his master had passed it to him; sure, his pupil was shocked when his master was still alive, a shock to both student and teacher, one Navcase had never fully figured out. He had been in Kyoto, due mostly to his curse, when the 13th Hiko had passed on the style to the 14th successor, who refused both the title and the mantle. So then how could Ryo have learned that, or even seen it? The "14th successor" had died years ago, though reports differed over whether or not he died of complications from the years of strain and punishment performing the techniques of the style had put on his body, or from a heart attack caused by the anxiety of living in constant fear of his wife. Either way, Ryo could not have seen him perform the techniques. Even if the "14th successor" had shown up, he would never have shown Ryo the style. Ever. One way or another, Ryo had learned of its existence, and there was only one way to deal with it. 

Kill him. 

"Well Ryo...it seems that you're better than I anticipated. It's time to really go at it." 

Navcase sheathed the sword of Ryuujin on his back. Steam erupted from the machine as the chestplate opened up and Navcase climbed out of the power armor. Ryo gasped in shock at what Navcase had become. He was still dressed in his traditional Japanese garb, much like Kenshin had, but his hands had become draconian claws. His entire body was covered in scales, making him look reptilian. His face extended slightly outward, also covered in scales. His eyes were not set back on the sides of his face like most reptiles were. The oddest thing about Navcase, as Ryo observed, was his reddish hair was still there, and it was about halfway down his back from lack of maintenance. The rest of the Draconai were completely bald, as he had observed, both before and after his death. Something was definitely wrong. 

Navcase stood there, with his sword sheathed. 

"Hit me!" he challenged Ryo. "But first, shed your armor." 

Ryo removed his armor, staying in his sub-armor. Sekhmet tossed him two of his swords. 

Ryo knew that Navcase was leaving himself wide open as a trap, but Ryo probably would not get another chance to hit him. Ryo leapt into the air and came flying towards him, his swords raised above his head as he came down. Navcase smiled slyly and used Ryu Shou Sen to block Ryo's advance, knocking him back and on his knees. 

Ryo got up and charged again, leaping into the air. He had to try again, and if Navcase was wise, he would not use the same move again, because Ryo knew he had it. Ryo could see it coming. Ryo screamed at the top of his lungs as he flew in for the blow he knew would connect with. 

Meanwhile, Navcase watched as the distance between Ryo and him grew shorter. Of course he would not repeat Ryu Shou Sen. It was too common a move in the style anyway, and it would make the battle too boring. And as a Draconai, he now craved this. He held his left arm above his head, and then gripped his sword and brought his right arm down to his waist, pointing the sword straight up in the air. 

Ryo only saw red as things started to go black and blood shot out of his other shoulder, as Navcase pushed off with his foot and drove the blade straight up. Navcase lowered Ryo to the ground on his sword and pulled his sword back cruelly and rapidly, causing more blood to spill out and Ryo to scream in pain. But Ryo managed to remain standing, even though his vision was fading in and out from the loss of blood. 

"You're persistent...we successors have something for that." Navcase said, reading his sword for another go. 

Ryo cringed in pain as one by one Navcase hit the nine vital areas using the Ryu Sou Sen. His sword seemed to fly as each blow hit. Ryo staggered back, but still managed to hang on. 

"STOP THIS RYO!!!!! HE'LL KILL YOU IF YOU CONTINUE!!!!!" Rowen screamed as he watched this horror.   
"I can...beat him..." Ryo declared. 

Navcase's face took on a look of anger, and glee as he set his sword up for another technique. Through blurred vision, Ryo was horrified to remember that the technique Navcase was about to use was the favorite of the egotistical madman who had used him as a practice dummy. 

Navcase called out Kuzu Ryu Sen as he charged across the ground at high speed, causing a sonic boom to erupt that sounded like the roar of a dragon. He seemed to fly, and the blow came so quickly, it felt like all nine vital points were hit all at once, when they were only hit a few milliseconds apart one by one. More wounds opened, and Ryo coughed up blood as he staggered back again. Navcase sheathed his sword and took the Battou-Jutsu Stance. Ryo knew what this meant. He was going to try the most powerful technique in the style. 

He thought back to when Hiko had instructed him on the move. Hiko had said it was unstoppable, but then another man came in and shocked the mantled man when he said there was a way to defeat it. He explained that the technique created a vacuum if the first move missed, which the user would then use to hit them with the second blow. However, if the opponent found a way to go low enough so that he went under the vacuum, he could use it to score a hit. Hiko smiled at that, and was happy to know that his Stupid Pupil did not know that, happier still when this person told him that his stupid pupil had been defeated that way. But Ryo knew what he had to do. 

He charged at Navcase with the last of his strength, and at the last second dove to the ground just as Navcase swung with the first blow, leading with his left, displacing the air and creating the famous vacuum. Ryo somersaulted to his feet, and kicked upward, punching Navcase in the jaw with an uppercut, sending him sailing backward and crashing to the ground with a loud thud. As Navcase got up he found Ryo's sword at his throat, breathing Heavily and bleeding just as hard. 

"I win...now get off this island." Ryo declared. 

Navcase nodded, got up, and sheathed his sword, as the Ronins and Warlords started cheering. Ryo began to walk away. But out of the corner of his eye, Rowen noticed Navcase go to the Battou-Jutsu stance. 

"Ryo Watch out!" he shouted.   
"I'm not loosing! Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, Hi Ryu Sen!" 

Navcase whipped around and launched his sword from his scabbard with his left hand. It flew at Ryo who turned around just in time to see it go through his upper chest. Ryo fell over slowly as he coughed up blood. 

"NO!!!!" Anubis shouted. "NOT AGAIN!!!!" 

Ryo lay there, in pain. He felt himself slowly slip away, as he went into a sort of trance. He heard the voices of his friends, laughing, talking. He remembered how he had promised the girls that he would win. He heard himself tell Sakura that he could wait for her...he wanted his friends at the wedding. 

Not at his funeral. He would not allow this to happen again. He felt new power surge through his body, one he had not felt since he had sparred with Amaterasu. He slowly but painfully rose to his feet. 

"NAVCASE!!!!!" Ryo bellowed, causing the warrior to turn around. He gasped in shock. Ryo had begun to glow purple slightly. Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him. 

"I...will bring you back to our side...no matter the cost!!!!" Ryo screamed, the purple energy bursting into an aura that surrounded him. Anubis could see Ryo's back. Just next to where the sword had penetrated, in the middle of Ryo's back, he saw a kanji glowing brightly. "Tsubasa."--Wings. 

Ryo placed his hands around the blade, and slowly but painfully pulled it out of him, and threw it to Navcase. He focused his power. It was hard though. There was a great deal of energy to control. He thought he heard a voice in his head, the one he had heard before. 

"Awaken...Tsubasa no Hi." it said. 

At that, Ryo's sub armor seemed to crack slightly. The cracks grew bigger and became sutures, as it seemed something was trying to break free. In a dramatic display of power, the sub-armor shattered as flames burst from Ryo's back, taking form. The Ronins and Navcase gasped at the sight. At first, the flames seemed to be flaring out unfocused, but they soon took the form of angelic wings. Flaming angelic wings. The purple glow continued to erupt around Ryo, as his own Chi healed his wounds slowly. They watched as the wounds to his shoulders and chest slowly closed up, as if they were never there. 

Back at the Palace, Ceiphied watched this through his spectral image. He began to sweat and shake in fear as he remembered the first line...He repeated it to himself, out loud. 

"The Plight of eight will awaken one who rides on Wings of Flame..." 

"Ryo, I know you're confused." The voice said again. "All will make sense in time...for now, focus your energy into a wardrobe more fitting for one of your stature...a Seishi. Besides, your significant other will soon flood the palace with her drooling." 

Ryo smiled slightly as he imagined Sakura seeing him completely naked and the palace flooded, then nodded and closed his eyes. He focused his mind, thinking of every way cool ancient outfit he had ever seen, and let fly. 

The wings covered his body, as his Chi shot up, quickly tailoring the hero. When it was done, he was clothed in extremely stylish Chinese threads, resembling that of Tamahome's definitive costume when his new power erupted, only done with accents that looked like flame. Flames seemed to be a major motif of the outfit. But amazingly, his wings were not burning the fabric. It had been created from his own inner life force. 

Navcase looked at this thing. He remained focused, but within he was terrified. Ryo's horror factor had shot up dramatically, and the Kenki Ryo was projecting was enormous. But still, he had to defeat this menace. If this was a Seishi, as Ceiphied had told him, then he must die immediately. He had used all his power moves, but one. He had been saving this one for an emergency. He held his sword in the traditional pool cue stance of Gatousu, and pushing off with his back foot, he flew across the ground at Ryo using Gatousu Zero Stance, screaming at the top of his lungs. 

Ryo stood there, and waited. At the last second, he shot straight up into the air, avoiding the Gatousu. He used his wings to go into a flaming power dive, slamming into Navcase, knocking him back across the ground. 

"Ryo...Your wings will become whatever you need them to be. Just think of what you need and they will obey." the voice said again. 

Ryo focused and the wings disappeared and formed into twin swords, which he used to parry Navcase's next blow. He slashed, scorching Navcase's chest, causing him to scream in pain. He focused them into a flame spray, burning Navcase even more, singing his clothing and causing him to stumble back. The wings reformed as Ryo went airborne, flapping them to send a burst of fireballs screaming towards Navcase, all of them knocking him back. 

And then his wings canceled. 

Ryo dropped to the ground, gasping for energy as Navcase readied himself for another go. 

"What's wrong..." Ryo called out.   
"You're still weak from fighting him before. Your body hasn't completely adapted to this new power." Amaterasu explained. 

Navcase focused energy in his hands and fired it, knocking Ryo back with a chi blast. He fired again and again, severely beating back the young warrior. 

"Why won't...the wings come back..." Ryo wondered.   
"You've got to focus harder...in time you'll learn...you need practice...There is only one hope now...I want you to call out for something...I've been readying for this moment." 

Ryo struggled to his feet. His strength was fading, but he had to keep going. Navcase would win. 

"Any last words before I finish you off Wildfire?" Navcase asked, as he prepared another energy bolt, this one stronger than the previous ones.   
"I'm not Wildfire anymore...I am Tsubasa no Hi, the Wings of Flame, First Seishi of Amaterasu." Ryo spoke, not wavering a bit. "And as for your question, yes, I do have some final words." 

Then, calling up to the heavens, Ryo shouted once again. "ARMOR OF WHITE REFLECTION!!!!" 

_(White Reflection by Two-Mix kicks up)_

Ryo erupted in his aura again as he shot into the air, above Navcase. Two red boots locked together over both his feet, as a white plate locked into place over each. Two pieces came from either side, forming his shin guards. Two more locked into place over his thighs. Joints shot from the lower part of his thigh plates to the upper part of his shin plates, covering up his knee completely. Two pieces came from behind and in front, and formed a skirt armor around his waist. A piece came in from behind him, and attached itself to his back, as another came from the front, making up his torso. His upper arms were surrounded by twin panels that came from either side, and a white armor followed by blue gauntlets with a red fin attached to each of his forearms. His shoulder guards attached from behind and in front, as two pieces came from the lateral and medial sides of his hands, locking into place, and then armor protracting over his fingers and thumbs, forming his gloves. His helmet came from behind his head and locked into place, as the faceplate locked into place as well, forming his helmet. A part came down over his eyes and the bottom of his face plate closed up from both sides like his old armor did, causing him to look the spitting image of Wing Zero Custom. His wings of Flame became metal, completing the illusion. 

The Ronins stood there, gasping, their jaws dropped at the sight as Ryo touched down. Navcase started to show worry in his face. 

"Now Navcase..." Ryo said from behind his helmet. "We're even."   


  


**To Be Continued...**   


  
  
  


**Next Episode**

RYO: Whoa! Not only am I a Seishi, I get this cool armor too! It's pretty cool looking, but is it enough to fight off Navcase? Oh yeah! But there's a little problem...this thing doesn't have any swords! 

It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; The Luminance from the Heavens. Don't miss it!   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	13. Luminance from the Heavens

Rwdrw13 Ryo erupted in his aura again as he shot into the air, above Navcase. Two red boots locked together over both his feet, as a white plate locked into place over each. Two pieces came from either side, forming his shin guards. Two more locked into place over his thighs. Joints shot from the lower part of his thigh plates to the upper part of his shin plates, covering up his knee completely. Two pieces came from behind and in front, and formed a skirt armor around his waist. A piece came in from behind him, and attached itself to his back, as another came from the front, making up his torso. His upper arms were surrounded by twin panels that came from either side, and a white armor followed by blue gauntlets with a red fin attached to each of his forearms. His shoulder guards attached from behind and in front, as two pieces came from the lateral and medial sides of his hands, locking into place, and then armor protracting over his fingers and thumbs, forming his gloves. His helmet came from behind his head and locked into place, as the faceplate locked into place as well, forming his helmet. A part came down over his eyes and the bottom of his face plate closed up from both sides like his old armor did, causing him to look the spitting image of Wing Zero Custom. His wings of Flame became metal, completing the illusion. 

The Ronins stood there, gasping, their jaws dropped at the sight as Ryo touched down. Navcase started to show worry in his face. 

"Now Navcase..." Ryo said from behind his helmet. "We're even."   


  


**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 13: The Luminance from the Heavens**   


  


Navcase charged at Ryo with all his might, but Ryo punched him, knocking him back. He rose into the air and hovered, charging at Navcase, pummeling him with punch after punch. Navcase dodged left and right, back and back again, desperately trying to escape Ryo's wrath. 

"Whohoo! Ryo's in the zone!" Kento cheered.   
"Now to take you down." Ryo said. 

His Machinecannons opened up, forcing Navcase to take a defensive stance to protect himself from the bullets. However, several still hit him, cutting his arms and legs, along with his clothing. 

Navcase thought hard as the bullets struck him. He tried to think of what technique he could use to break through this onslaught. Ryu Tsui Sen was out of the question; Ryo could see it coming and would use the time it took for him to descend to counter it. He could not get close enough for most of the moves. His only hope was to use the blinding speed of the style to evade Ryo's bullets until they ran out. 

He dodged Ryo relentlessly, appearing to teleport as he led Ryo's non-stop barrage towards him, and then to his new position. 

"He's just dodging?" Sage thought. "He's dead now."   
"I don't think so Sage...I think he's doing it deliberately." Rowen said. 

After several minutes of non-stop dodging, Ryo's weapons clicked as they spun, depleted of bullets. Navcase then stopped. 

"Fool. I used the godlike speed associated with Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, in an effort to deplete your supply of ammunition. Now you are completely vulnerable." 

Navcase turned to one side and brought his sword arm back and bent at the knees, and flew at Ryo with Gatousu, first stance once again. But there was one thing Navcase was unprepared for. Ryo brought out a new Twin Buster Rifle and aimed it as he charged. The crosshairs lined up and Ryo fired. 

Navcase cut off in mid charge, launching himself into the air. He breathed a sigh of relief that the weapon was not in Blast Everything to Hell Mode. He had to get him now. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Ryu Tsui-Sho Sen!" Navcase shouted. 

He came crashing down with the hammering blow of Ryu Tsui Sen, using his weight and gravity to accelerate himself into Ryo, before landing and slashing upwards with the Ryu Sho Sen technique. Ryo was caught off guard and fell back. He put up his metal wings to block. 

Navcase smiled. It reminded him of a fight he had observed back in Kyoto during the 11th Year of the Meiji Restoration, when a warrior named Usui had done the same thing. Perhaps what had worked back then would work now... 

Ryo gasped in pain as Navcase penetrated his wings with his sword, slicing cleanly through them and piercing part of his armor. His friends watched in horror. Navcase had performed an attack at point blank range, with almost no explanation as to where the power for it came from. 

"The Hiratsuki Technique, developed by the great strategist of the Shinsengumi, second in command Toshizou Hijikata, has no weak points. Furthermore, the Gatousu technique, an adaptation of the Hiratsuki by third division captain, Hajime Saitou, has even less. There are different attacks for different circumstances, naturally. The first is the usual method. The Second is from striking diagonally from above. The third is to counter attacks from above." 

He extracted his sword and strode away, sheathing his sword. 

"And the technique I just demonstrated, which strikes at point blank range with power that comes from nowhere, is the Zero Method." 

Ryo doubled over in pain. Navcase was dangerous. Very dangerous. His mastery of two different techniques proved that. Only a truly gifted swordsman could do that. There had to be a way to stop him. Ryo bowed his head as he sighed, noticing that he could see his face in his armor, in fact, in his wings as well...of course! The armor was called White Reflection, was it not? 

He watched as Navcase went out of his trot and turned back around, drawing his sword, before charging at Ryo, going airborne and prepared for Gatousu type two. As he descended, Ryo brought his wing into the sunlight and reflected it like a mirror. Navcase screamed in pain as the light hit his eyes, breaking his concentration and causing him to fall to the ground in pain. He slowly struggled to his feet, limped over to Ryuujin, and climbed back inside. 

"You've won this battle Wildfire...or should I say, Tsubasa no Hi...but Ceiphied and I will win the war! Round one goes to you...Let us see who wins round two..." 

The armor closed around him as Navcase blasted into the sky, flying back towards the base with the other minions, at least those who were still alive. 

"Yeah! And stay away!" Kento shouted after them. 

Ryo stood there, and the others watched as the armor on his body vanished in a brilliant flash of light, leaving only him and his wings of flame, and his glowing purple aura. The flames soon died down, however, as did the aura fade, and Ryo collapsed face first. The others rushed to his side. 

"Hariel, find any energists the Draconai may have missed and destroy them." Anubis ordered.   
"You got it." Hariel responded. 

After several hours had passed, Ryo's eyes slowly opened. The room came into focus as he found his friends around him, with Mia tending to him. 

"What happened..." Ryo wondered. 

"A great deal, actually. After you died, Ceiphied became relentless on us. He sent each of his five generals, one by one, to test and hopefully defeat us. I myself was consumed by a demon of vengeance and became powered up. Although this power is very dangerous, it is one that has ensured that we made it this far, to talk with you." Anubis explained. 

Kento broke the tone of the meeting instantly. 

"WHOA RYO!!!! What was that thing you did?"   
"What thing..." Ryo asked, still quite out of it.   
"That thing you did where you got flaming wings and a cool armor and kicked Navcase's ass? Can you teach me how?" asked.   
"That is impossible Kento." Kayura said as she entered. 

Kayura was dressed in the traditional robes of the Ancient. She walked towards where Ryo was lying on the floor. 

"During the confrontation, you called yourself Tsubasa no Hi. That is prophesied in the ancient texts." she explained.   
"The Legend of the Seven Seishi, correct? I read a little on this up when I was training with Amaterasu. I never thought I was one of them."   
"I know you are weak Ryo, but can you show me this power again? I want to make sure." Kayura said.   
"I'll try." Ryo said. 

He and the others walked outside to a clearing, far from anything combustible, in the event that Ryo lost control. Kento called his armor and stepped forward to serve as a target. 

"Okay Ryo, let's light this candle." Kento said. 

Ryo closed his eyes and began to focus. He tried to search for this power that had manifested itself so dramatically. He dug deeper and deeper into his chi, and it exploded out. A purple aura erupted around him, and slowly, his flaming wings made their presence known again, as his Seishi wardrobe came forth. 

Kento charged towards the unarmed Ryo, ready for action. Ryo could not be that good... 

"Tsubasa no Hi! Ken En!" Ryo called out, as his wings sent flame from them to his hands, forming blades of pure flame. He blocked Kento's attack with one blade, and slashed with the other, burning him and knocking him back. 

"Tsubasa no Hi! En Jin!" Ryo called out. His wings wrapped around his arms, forming tonfa-like blades, which he used to slash several times at Kento, weakening him with every blow. The flames disappeared from his arms and returned to his back as he rose into the air. 

"Tsubasa no Hi! Renzoku Dan En!" Ryo shouted. 

His wings began launching rapid fire balls of flame that Kento attempted to dodge, but he was unable to dodge them all. He fell and declared he gave up. Ryo descended and alighted, the wings fading away, and his aura dropped down to normal range, leaving him still clothed in his Seishi garb. Ryo doubled over as the energy drain hit him. The others rushed to Ryo, but he motioned to them. 

"I'm okay. I'll get used to this power." he explained. 

"Ryo, as for that armor, you should use it sparingly. It is quite powerful and easily knocked you out from the output. That, and it is dangerous for you at close range, without any melee weapons, such as your Swords of Wildfire." she explained. 

"Perhaps, where this could be a Mecha Armor version of Inferno, Saber Strike already has the weapons." 

Suddenly Mia ran in. 

"Guys, it's bad. Ceiphied's at it again. He's attacking Toyama with Navcase again."   
"Apparently he's already healed himself from when we fought him last. We better get going." Rowen said. 

The Ronins and Warlords went through the usual motions to call upon their armors. But when the sequences ended, only Ryo was without armor. 

"Um, Ryo, get into your armor..." Sai whispered to him. 

Ryo focused all his power, went through the motions again. But his armor never came. There was no black background behind him. Nor were there bolls of silk. Nor Cherry Blossoms. Only Ryo, and his Seishi garb. 

"What Ryo, are you beyond armor or something?" Kento joked.   
"In a word, yes. The ancient texts speak of the Seishi being able to fly with their chi alone." Kayura said.   
"Like the Z Fighters." Ryo said.   
"Exactly." Kayura said. 

The Ronins and Warlords fired up their thrusters and took to the air. Ryo began to concentrate. Harder and harder. If the Z fighters such as Goku could do it, then so could he. Without realizing it, he rose into the sky, and joined his friends. Together they rocketed forward towards Ceiphied. 

As they reached the city, they spotted Navcase and the Draconai blasting their way through a city block, injuring or killing innocent people, with Ceiphied himself supervising. Ryo's mind flared with anger, and his wings emerged, and a rapid fire volley of flame blasts rained down on the Draconai. The Ronins and Warlords touched down. 

"Okay, Rowen, you and the others see if you can hold off the other Draconai. Kale, Sekhmet, Dais, cut off their escape route. Ryo, stay here and see if you can help me with Navcase." Anubis said. 

Anubis concentrated and began to focus his power. "I know this is dangerous...but I need your power to defeat him..." Anubis thought. 

The demon smiled as Anubis once again called out the command words and the added metal cloak panels attached and the armor changed slightly. Anubis charged with all his fury at Navcase with his scythe, but Navcase parried with Ryu Sho Sen. 

"Your anger makes you weak...and the demon weaker. You may be strong, but you fight three battles...one with me, one with the demon that gives you that power...and the third with the hidden power within you, that seeks to defeat the demon." Navcase explained. "As a master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, I can read your ki like a book." 

With a flourish of his hand, he fired several blasts, each of which flew at a particular one of the good guys. One by one they turned in horror or were cut down by the blasts. Navcase smiled evilly. He knew what would happen next. 

"KI-SAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Anubis screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes glowing white. He transformed into the demon once again and landed blow after blow on Navcase, knocking him back. He picked up the swordsman and slammed him into the wall holding him by his feet, brought his fists together and hit him from above, hurled him into the air, grabbed him in midair and body slammed him, but Navcase got up. 

"Pathetic. Rage cannot defeat focused power." Navcase explained. 

The enraged beast threw him at a wall, but Navcase kicked off and flew towards him. 

"Thank you so much Anubis. Ryu Kan Sen! Arashi!" Navcase shouted. 

He went into a forward roll that brought his sword slamming into Anubis' head, knocking him back a few feet. 

"I have one parting gift for you." Navcase shouted. 

He raised his sword above his head, and Chi began to gather. 

"Aoyama Technique!" he called out. 

He swung his sword, causing waves of energy to lash out at Anubis, driving him into another wall and causing him to power down. 

Ryo watched as his friends fell. He watched as Anubis was knocked backward by a strange attack from Navcase. He had not heard of this move. It did not seem to be of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, otherwise Hiko would have demonstrated it on him. But Navcase still had to be stopped. 

"Now to finish you off, Anubis." Navcase said. 

He prepared to fire his emerald blasts once again, and they flew towards an unconscious Anubis. Navcase gasped in surprise as Ryo leapt in front of the blasts. Ryo focused hard. His soul lit with power. He had to stop the blasts. 

The emerald attacks slammed into a wall of energy that seemed to come from nowhere, nullifying them. When it was done, Ryo was standing there, his aura still glowing. 

"I'll be your opponent now." Ryo said.   
"Well, round two." Navcase said.   
"I have to try..." Ryo thought. "One last time..."   
"ARMOR OF ZERO WILDFIRE!!!! TAO JIN!!!!!!" Ryo shouted. 

Nothing happened. 

Putting everything he had into it, he focused again, and began the motions. 

"ARMOR OF WHITE NEO WILDFIRE!!!!! TAO JIN JIN!!!!!!!" 

Again, nothing happened. Navcase took his sword and charged Ryo, inflicting blow after blow. He used Ryu Sho Sen to send Ryo flying upward and crashing down nearby. 

"Okay, that's it. Now or never." Ryo said. "ARMOR OF WHITE REFLECTION!!!!!!!!!!!" 

In a dramatic display as before, the armor's components attached to him one by one. He stood ready to fight him again. 

But he still had no blades. His Wings could not produce them. Navcase took advantage of that, hitting him time and time again with Ryuujin's power. The armor was strong, and managed to protect Ryo. But with every blow, the armor began to slowly weaken. He needed a miracle. With one good emerald blast Navcase sent Ryo flying for a loop. 

"Round two goes to me. I won't give you a final one." Navcase said, charging his emeralds. 

Ryo was down and out. He struggled to get up, but he was still weak from when he fought Navcase and Kento earlier. His armor was heavy, too. He could not break out the cannon to fire it. It would do nothing. Navcase would just knock it back at him. He needed a miracle, something that could make Navcase turn back. He smiled as he heard the telltale whistle of incoming missiles. 

An explosion ensued as Navcase was knocked off his feet as several missiles landed near him. As he got to his feet, a large metal machine landed in the street, looming thirty feet above him. The Forgotten Souls leapt off and headed over to help the Ronins and Warlords. 

"Hey Ryo! Mind if we join the party?" Hariel asked.   
"We got our RSVP's late. Mail's screwed up." Saranbo added.   
"I can see why, the guest of honor's quite ugly." Sun Devil added. 

Saber Strike felt a strange feeling come over him. He seemed drawn to Ryo. He walked over to him. As the distance decreased, both he and the armor began to glow. When there was nothing between them, they glowed brightly, as if the two were reacting. When the light faded, Saber Strike's armor had changed, and he had twin sheaths on his back for the Swords of Light. He kneeled before Ryo, who pulled the swords out slowly, and instinctively held the blades above his head. They began to crackle with energy, and it began to leap from blade to blade, traveling up to the tip. 

Navcase watched this attack. He had never seen this one before. Ryo's special technique involved placing the blades end to end. This was a new one. But he could feel the intense energy from it. He then gasped as Ryo pointed the blades towards him. 

"Luminance from the Heavens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ryo screamed. 

The energy leapt from the blades and shot a white hot beam of energy towards Navcase. The distance was cut between them, and he screamed in pain as the blast hit him. But the pain was greater for his mind than it was for his body. He began to see colorless images. 

_"Shinta-chan! Run! Don't let them get y-" he heard his mother say._

_He watched in horror as a swordsman drove his sword into his mother's chest, and pulled it out violently, her falling to the floor in a heap of blood. He saw his younger self run to his mother's side._

"_Shinta-chan..." she said. She placed her hand across her young son's face, before passing on and her hand falling lifelessly to the floor._

_"BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!" he heard a voice shout. It was that of his father, Tomokazu Tennomi. He was a tall, intimidating man, with hair that stopped at his nose. He watched his father draw his sword and charge, only to be cut down by his mother's killer. He watched as his younger self lay between his slain parents, cowering in fear._

He remembered that night vividly. He remembered being so terrified by the swordsman's kenki, yet wanting so badly to hurt the man who had slain both his parents. 

_"Ah, a witness. Can't leave you around." he heard the swordsman say._   
_"That's enough." another, deeper voice said._

_He, along with his younger self, saw the swordsman turn around to view a tall, even scarier man, standing in the doorway. He had four strands of hair that fell over his face, the rest was tied behind him in a ponytail. He wore a large cape over his shoulders._

_"Who are you, asshole?" he heard the killer say._

_The stranger drew his sword from under his cape, and held it in front of him. The man spoke with a tone that frightened Navcase, even now, his younger self, and the killer._

_"You will not live long enough to know my name. I know of a very safe place to run...it's called hell."_

_The man went into a move that struck all nine vital points one by one with blinding speed...Navcase remembered their names...Karatake, a downward stroke, Kesagiri, a strike to the shoulders, reverse Kesagiri, right and left Nagi, the belly stroke and the reverse, right upward cut, left upward cut, Sakaze, the upward stroke, and Tsuki, which pierces the chest. The man bled to death and fell in a heap before this man who sheathed his sword._

_"You there!" this man called out._

_His younger self pointed to himself._

_"Yes you, boy. Come with me. We're going to bury your parents."_

Navcase watched as the large man dug a grave for them both, and placed his beautiful mother, Yumi Tennomi, within one and his father, noble to the end, within the other. He covered them up and began to dig a third. 

_"Sir, what are you doing?" he heard his younger self ask._   
_"This one's you. Can't let them find out you're still alive. What's your name boy?" he asked._   
_"Shinta...Shinta Tennomi." his younger self stammered._

_The man laughed at it. He saw his younger self become sad._

_"That's no name, for a boy who's about to become a swordsman. From now on...your name will be..."_

He later learned that the long pause was because he could not think of one. He had heard from this man later, that he had looked to the stars for an answer, and a voice whispered in his ear the name he now bared... 

_"Well, something tells me we should call you Navcase." the man said._   
_"Navcase?" his younger self said._   
_"My name is Seijirou Hiko, and I am the 4th Successor of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu Style. It will be tough, but I believe you've got potential kid. Let's go."_

The scene changed, and He watched himself and a young girl sitting together under the stars on a hill. Something seemed to remind him that he was nine at the time and still training with the 4th Hiko, and she was eight. Her voice seemed to echo across time. 

_"Shinta-chan?" she said._   
_"Yes Yuriko?" he heard his younger self say._   
_"When we get older, let's get married." she said._   
_"Married?" he heard himself say, with a confused look on his face._   
_"It's what grownups are supposed to do when they love each other." she said._   
_"It is?" his younger self said._   
_"Uh-huh." she said._   
_"Yuriko?" his younger self asked._   
_"Yes?" she said, slightly starry eyed._   
_"What's love?" his younger self asked._

_She instantly got a evil look across her face and smacked him, before pinning him down trying to kiss him._

"I remember that..." 

The scene changed, and he saw her again. She was older now, and the years had been good to her. Something told him that this was when he was seventeen and she was sixteen. She had grown into a beautiful young woman. He also recalled he had gone off for a few days, deep into the woods, to train with his master. Since he was six, he had been training with Hiko. He had arranged for him to stay with a family he knew in Kyoto, the Toumahama's. They were very friendly and had a young daughter named Yuriko. When they first met, her face was colored red. When he asked what was wrong, she had smacked him. Although Hiko had introduced him as Navcase, she soon found out his original name, and loved to tease him about being named Shinta. He insisted that his name was Navcase, as it was what Hiko named him. But she did not seem to care. When he would go off to train with Hiko, when he came back she was so ecstatic that she tackled him as soon as he entered the home. He assumed that she was just very happy to see him. He was confused when she had made him promise to marry him one day. But the years taught him why; even from that young age, she loved him from the moment she had first set eyes on him. 

_"Yuriko?" he heard his now much older self say._

_The next thing he knew, he saw himself get tackled by Yuriko as usual._

_"Shinta-chan! You're home!" she said happily. "How did the training go?"_   
"_Very well. I am now the 5th Successor of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu style." he heard himself say._   
_"That's wonderful! As far back as I can remember, you've always talked so highly of him. I want to thank him for what he's made you." Yuriko said._   
_"That's not possible...as per tradition...he died from complications, shortly after teaching me the succession technique. That is the fate of all who practice Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu."_   
_"Oh..." she said, sadly, but understanding what he was saying._   
_"He said that the name Seijirou Hiko is passed down from master to master...the name is taken on by each successor. His final act as Hiko the 4th was very strange..." he said._   
_"What was it?"_   
_"His dying words were, 'I, Hiko the 4th, decree that no other apprentice of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu style EVER BE NAMED SHINTA!!!!! Navcase, it is your responsibility to pass this knowledge on. It may become useful someday, to a man named Nobuhiro Watsuki.'"_   
_"Is he a successor too?"_   
_"No, but he said he will write about the travels of the 14th student of the style..." he said._

_(Yuriko goes over and whacks the writer)_

_Destonus: Hey!_   
_Yuriko: How dare you make my Shinta-chan say an anachronism! That's the last time you spend the weekend watching that series!_   
_Destonus: Sorry...moving on..._

_..._

_"Anyway...does this mean I can't call you Navcase anymore?" she asked._   
_"No...I took the title but I refuse to use it. You can still call me Navcase." he said._

_She got an evil grin across her face._

_"I like Shinta-chan better." she said, tackling him to the floor again, trying to kiss him._   
_"Yuriko! Please! Get off me!" he said, struggling to get free._

The scene changed again. Both he and Yuriko were older. Shortly after the previous event, her father had asked him to serve as one of his personal samurai. Navcase accepted. Between that time, he had been traveling on a mission for his daimyo, when a strange man dressed like a monk had asked him to retrieve the Armor of Ryuujin. He had broken into the Nether World and retrieved it, and helped him lock it away. A few years later, her father gave him his blessing to marry his daughter. The wedding was to take place in a few months. Navcase grimaced. These were the memories he tried so hard to forget... 

_"Toumahama-sama! Toumahama-sama!" a voice shouted. Navcase watched a young man, clad in samurai armor rush into the room._

_"What is it, Hirotaka?" Toumahama asked._   
_"Demons! They're coming from the sky and attacking the house!" he shouted, terrified._   
_"Navcase-san, go to Yuriko immediately. She is my daughter, and your fiancee. You must protect her. Seta, Koyasu, Nobutoshi, Seki! Go out and defend the mansion!"_   
_"It will be done." Navcase said, running off, only to be ambushed by a group of Draconai, led by the Fire Clan._   
_"Navcase..." Kouen growled. "So you're the famous thief. Time for you to pay!" he shouted._

_Navcase fought his way through soldier after soldier, who had cleverly led him in the opposite direction. And then he heard a sound, which pained him even now._

_Yuriko's scream._

_He watched as his younger self ran as fast as his legs could carry him toward her room, cutting down every Draconai in his path, thrusting the doors open, only to find her room empty, except for a note._

Ceiphied, Lord of the Draconai, had taken her captive, it had said. He was to go to the Nether World to face him. Navcase had gone. 

_"Ceiphied!!!!!!!!" he heard his younger self scream. "Come out!"_

_Navcase watched as the Lord of the Draconai came forward. He was about as ugly then as he was now._

_"Ah, Navcase. I trust you got my message."_   
_"GIVE HER BACK!!!!!!" his younger self demanded._

_Ceiphied motioned. Yuriko stepped out. He and his younger self gasped at the horror that Ceiphied had concocted. He had turned her into a Draconai._

_"If you defeat me, I break the curse and you can live with her peacefully. But if I win...you BOTH belong to me."_

He had remembered how angry he was during that fight, and the battle raged, with Ceiphied as the victor. Even without his armor, he was still powerful. 

_"O' powers of supreme evil in the Nether World...O' ancient lord of the Nether Dragons, heed my command..." Ceiphied said._

_The sky above the base turned completely black, and thunder and lightning crashed as Ceiphied continued._

_"Bestow upon these unfortunate weaklings, the curse of the Draconai!!!!" Ceiphied roared._

_He watched his younger self scream in pain as his heart became an energist. But he was not a full Draconai._

_"I've placed a special curse on you. I only gave you enough of the curse so that you may survive without a human heart. I'll let you suffer on earth, without your beloved."_

Navcase returned to earth, empty-handed. His surrogate father, furious that he had not returned with his daughter, threw him out on the street, forcing him to fend for himself. He wandered, for many years, until he had found a young man, eager to learn. He had passed the technique to him, as his master had before. This man became the 6th Hiko. But Navcase still survived, the Draconai bio-regeneration healing him. He had wandered the world, coming back to Kyoto years later, for the funeral of Toumahama. He did this with a heavy heart, for he had not brought back his daughter; his own fiancee. Although this man had thrown him to the dogs, he had still raised him, taught him about the world. He owed at least that to him. He returned to Kyoto again, years later during the Bakamatsu, where he learned of the Shinsengumi and the third division captain's specialty. Over the course of the years, he learned the four forms of this technique, knowing full well he would need them for Ceiphied, someday. But he did not go to Ceiphied; rather, Ceiphied had come to him, and imprisoned him, torturing him daily, never letting him see his beloved. He broke free though, and flew to Toyama to help the Ronins, before Ceiphied kept his promise. But he heard another voice in his head. 

"_Shinta...my dear Shinta..." it said._   
"Mother?" he asked.   
_"Yes. Though your heart has much pain within...it is time to act upon it. Remember, that I will always be here for you, even now..."_   
_"Shinta. I'm very proud of what you've become." another voice said._   
"Father?" he called out.   
"_Shinta, do you know why our family is named, "Tennomi?" If you break down the syllables, it means, "Sword of Heaven." I, and my father before him, and his father, have all been swordsmen. Our family has a natural learning curve towards kenjutsu. It's almost as if, it's heaven's will that our family become swordsmen. It is not that our skill with our sword is natural and as though a gift from the heavens, it is that we believe that it is heaven's will that we wield swords for all eternally. Now, it's your turn, Shinta."_   
_"Navcase!" another voice shouted._   
"Hiko-sama?"   
_"Did you know that the name of our sword style means, "Sword of the Soaring Heavens?" It's ironic that your name also means "Sword of Heaven." The Sword of the Soaring Heavens wielded by a Sword of Heaven...a lucky combination, don't you think? Our style is one that protects others. You must protect the Ronins and their friends. It is your duty as a successor of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. Now show them what we can do!_   
"Mother...Father...Teacher...I understand." Navcase said. 

The next thing he knew, he was standing there, in the Armor of Ryuujin. 

"Huh? What happened?" he said out loud.   
"Navcase?..." Ryo asked. 

Ryo had focused everything he had into Luminance from the Heavens. Amaterasu had told him while he was there, that the attack was so named that it would shed light on minds that had been clouded by darkness. He hoped it would work this time. 

"Yes, Wildfire?" Navcase replied. 

Ryo was surprised. Gone was his evil tone. For all he could tell, he was still a Draconai, but his mission had been accomplished. 

"You back now?" he asked.   
"I am. Now let's show Ceiphied what we can do." Navcase said. 

Anubis woke up and got to his feet. He was ready to blast Navcase though. 

"Anubis, I see you've woken up. I don't blame you. I was out of it too. To think, My parents and teacher scolded me. Oh well, the way I see it, we've got to win, or they'll scold me in the afterlife." Navcase said. 

Anubis nodded and called upon his Deathscythe Hell again. Ryo brandished the Swords of Light. And Navcase took the Shinken no Kamae stance, popular with those practicing Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. 

Then, they charged Ceiphied, who smiled evilly. He used his claw to parry Anubis' scythe, only to be forced to use the other to stop Ryo's swords. But he then heard the cry of Navcase calling out his attack, as he slammed down from above with Ryu Tsui Sen. 

"Now! Hit him with everything you've got!" Navcase shouted. 

Anubis started things off by twirling his scythe above his head, and driving it into the ground, causing flames to erupt from the ground, scorching Ceiphied. Navcase sent an emerald blast screaming at the dark lord, causing him to scream in even more pain. Ryo finished the set up with a searing blast from the Swords of Light. A large explosion ensued. 

As Anubis fought off the Demon, he hoped his attack had worked. The demon was gaining a foothold quickly, and he would not have enough strength to perform another and still be able to fight him off. 

Navcase stood there, panting. He had hit Ceiphied with everything he had. He had done as his parents had instructed. Now Ceiphied would be dead, and Yuriko free of his control and curse, as would all the others who had been cursed. 

Ryo was weaker than the rest. He had used most of his power to free Navcase using Luminance of the Heavens. It would not be strong enough to bring Ceiphied to the side of good, but it would destroy him. At least, he hoped it would. 

The next thing the three heard was Ceiphied's laugh. The dust settled down, and a barrier much like the one Ryo had generated now surrounded Ceiphied. 

"You are no match for me." Ceiphied said. He fired two blasts, one that hit Anubis and knocked him out, and the second that knocked out Ryo, leaving only Navcase.   
"It's time we settled this." he said.   
"Indeed." Navcase said, preparing his sword. 

He rocketed towards Ceiphied, who parried with his claws again and again. 

"Fool. You couldn't beat me then, nor can you defeat me now." Ceiphied said, slashing at Navcase, knocking away the Sword of Ryuujin. When Navcase went for it, Ceiphied fired, knocking the hero away from it, and picking it up himself. Suddenly, Ryuujin disappeared, and Navcase was left in only his clothing, still a Draconai, but parts of scale had vanished. 

"How..." Navcase wondered.   
"Obviously, you didn't know that any Draconai can use Ryuujin. Especially me." 

In horror, he watched as the Armor reappeared on Ceiphied! 

"Now, let's do this for real." Ceiphied said. 

Navcase assumed Gatousu first stance, and flew at Ceiphied, but he rocketed skyward, landing behind the hero and slashing at him. Navcase used his speed to dodge and strike with Ryu Kan Sen, nailing Ceiphied in the back of the head. Ceiphied grabbed him by his sword and threw him over his head, but Navcase recovered and kicked up above him, prepared to crash down on top of him. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Ryu Tsui Se-" Navcase shouted before Ceiphied uppercutted him and knocked him aside. Navcase got to his feet and performed Dou Ryu Sen, but Ceiphied blasted the stones with his emeralds before walking up and slashing, Navcase barely parrying. Navcase flipped Back, and leapt into the air, landing an attack with Ryu Kan Sen Tsumuji, followed by Arashi, before stepping to the ground for a brief second and lunging forward with Gatousu Zero Stance. Ceiphied stumbled backward, and then backhanded Navcase away. As he went into Ryu Sou Sen, Ceiphied stopped every blow, and knocked Navcase back with his emerald blasts, but Navcase landed and flew into a technique that only Ryo could possibly stop... 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, Kuzu Ryu Sen!!!" he shouted, becoming a bolt of energy and flying towards him at breakneck speed. But with one swipe of his sword, he was knocked away. Navcase used his sword to help him to his feet. There was only one hope left. Kuzu Ryu Sen had failed. So had Gatousu. There was only one move left that could possibly defeat Ceiphied. He went into Battou-Jutsu stance, and led with his left as he began his slash...the slash went past Ceiphied, cutting part of his helmet, as he thrust the sword of Ryuujin through his chest, with Navcase gasping for breath, with only blood coming out. Ceiphied violently extracted the sword, and stepped away, before grabbing Navcase's OWN sword, and driving it into him, then punching it in the rest of the way, before leaving Navcase to die. Ryo, Hariel, and Anubis rushed to his side. The other two had just woken up. 

"Navcase, are you all right?" Anubis asked.   
"I've been better...Ryo...It was an honor to fight with you..."   
"It was an honor for me too. You've got some real kick-ass fighting skills." Ryo explained.   
"You-you've really grown in power since I first met you...appropriate for Tsubasa no Hi..."   
"It was good to see you again Hariel...thanks for helping me..." he said weakly. "Take care of them...Ceiphied plans to call..." 

Suddenly, Navcase began to fade away slowly soon he was gone. 

"Navcase...NAVCASE!!!!!!" Hariel screamed. 

The other Ronins began to shed tears for their fallen comerade...except Anubis. 

"Deathsycthe Hell, command Line. Maximum Firepower." Anubis said, firing everything he had at Ceiphied, who simply flew away. 

"Anubis, it's okay...we can ask Kayura to..." Rowen started.   
"And what will THAT do? He'll just kill them again, and again!" 

The Ronins froze. Anubis' voice was both entities. 

"The carnage will not stop..." they continued, "UNTIL CEIPHIED IS DEAD!!!!" the demon roared, as Anubis transformed once again. 

Up in the Heavens... 

"Mom, it's bad." Sakura said.   
"I know. Anubis has changed again. This has gone on long enough. The demon must be destroyed. And the only way to do it is with Luminance from the Heavens." she said. 

As Ryo watched Anubis wreak havoc, he heard Amaterasu's voice in his head. 

_"Ryo...You must use Luminance from the Heavens on Anubis..."_   
"But I might kill him if I do that." Ryo said.   
_"It is a risk you must take. You must try."_

Ryo reluctantly raised the swords to the sky once again, and began focusing. But Anubis came out of nowhere and punched him, sending him flying into a building. He got to his feet and prepared again. 

"Everyone! Hold him off while I gather the energy!" Ryo shouted. 

The others nodded and charged at Anubis with everything they had left. They hit him again and again. Ryo focused the energy once again. Power leaped from blade to blade as the charge grew. He had to focus, yet hurry at the same time. He watched as the others were knocked away as Anubis used his powered up Quake With Fear attack, and then came charging at Ryo. 

"Luminance from the Heavens!!" Ryo screamed, firing the searing blast towards him.   
"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" Anubis screamed in pain as the blast hit him. The demon howled in pain. 

Deep within, Anubis knew he had to help. He could not hide it any longer. This power was evil, and it had to be stopped. 

"I must help Ryo..." Anubis said. "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" he screamed. As he began to focus his power, a kanji began to appear on the side of his neck, glowing purple... 

The demon disintegrated into nothing, as the beam faded out and Ryo fell to his knees. The armor was destroyed. But Anubis was nowhere to be found. Disheartened, the heroes flew back to the Isle of Mists. Kayura and Mia were there to greet them. 

"Mia, Kayura, we've got some bad news...Anubis is...dead." Ryo said. 

The girls looked at him funny. He was surprised, even more so when they dragged them all to the Shrine of Amaterasu, where they found Anubis, fully alive! 

"We heard him shouting, and when we got here, we found him lying here, very weak. He's doing a little better though."   
"Did you happen to see Navcase?" Rowen asked, hoping that perhaps maybe, he survived too.   
"No...I haven't seen him since Ryo fought him." Kayura explained sadly. 

Up in the Heavens... 

"WOHOO!!!!! THE DEMON'S BEEN DEFEATED!!!!" Suiren shouted.   
"Yeah! Our guys showed him!" Yuri shouted.   
"Too bad for Navcase though..." Ran said sadly.   
"Um, guys, a little help here?" Ayame said from a distance, helping to drag a very bloody, and very injured and unconscious warrior into the room.   
"NAVCASE?" Sakura exclaimed in disbelief. 

Yuri ran over and helped him into a chair. 

"This looks bad. That sword's in there pretty deep." Suiren observed. 

Ayame focused her power. She could not let this noble warrior die in vain. Something told her he was needed. She burst into her full goddess form, and slowly pulled the sword out of him, dropping it on the floor. Sakura inspected the blade, disgusted at her twin's lack of sword care knowledge. 

Ayame then placed her hands over the spot, and focused everything she had. She glowed with energy, and screamed as she slowly burnt out. She had failed. The other girls started to cry as Ayame threw herself over Navcase, sobbing her eyes out. Through her tears, Ran noticed Navcase's eyes open slowly. 

"What...happened?" Navcase asked. "Sakura? Yuri? Suiren? Ran?" he said, remembering their names from when he had failed to enter their minds, or refused to. He then looked up at the girl crying on his chest. 

"Ayame?" he said softly. 

Ayame rose up, in disbelief, as the name shot through her body. She looked over, and saw Navcase slightly sitting up, confused. 

"Are you okay?" she asked.   
"I will be...once you get off me and let me sit up..." he asked. 

As he sat up, she wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him to death. 

"Don't ever do that to me again! I was really worried about you!" she shouted, starting to cry a little. 

"Look Oneesan, the wounds have healed. She did it." Ran observed.   
"That's not all...the scales are gone from that spot too!" Yuri exclaimed. 

"We have no time to loose, my daughters." Amaterasu said. "We must prepare him at once." 

The five nodded.   


  


**To Be Continued...**   


  


AMATERASU: Relieved at their newfound power in Ryo, the heroes launch an assault on Ceiphied once again...Ronin Warriors, Dragon's Wrath, Chapter 14: The Second Strike. Please watch for it.   
  
  
  
  
  



	14. The Second Strike

Rwdrw14 

**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 14: The Second Strike**

  
  


"I can't believe it...Navcase is gone..." Kento said solemnly.   
"And after we freed him from Ceiphied's control too." Rowen said.   
"He was a excellent and noble ally, we could have used him..." Hariel said. "And now he's gone..."   
"Don't worry Hariel. I'm sure Amaterasu has some great use for him in the palace of the Heavens." Ryo said.   
"I suppose you're right..." 

Meanwhile, Amaterasu, the girls, and Navcase had reached the door to a chamber in the palace. Peering into the room, Navcase observed an altar in the center, which was surrounded by six pedastals. 

"Navcase, go lie down on the altar." Amaterasu said. 

Navcase obeyed and laid down on his back. As he did this, Amaterasu and the girls took their positions on each of the pedastals. 

"What is this?" Navcase asked.   
"A last ditch effort to purge the Draconai curse from your body. If it works, you'll be completely human again. If it doesn't however, we're in trouble." Amaterasu said. "But don't worry. This should work due to your state." she replied. 

Navcase was puzzled by this comment. 

"Just close your eyes and relax. It'll be over soon." Amaterasu said. 

The girls went to their goddess forms and massive amounts of Chi began pouring into Navcase. 

Meanwhile, at Ceiphied's... 

"You insolent worms! You have failed! Not only did you fail to kill the Ronins, you also allowed one of them to awaken as a Seishi!!!!!!" Ceiphied roared. 

The soldiers gathered braced for the worst. This was the part where Ceiphied went through his dramatic transformation and turned all of them into lunch. All scaly eyes were trained on their lord and master, waiting for the energy to build up. 

But it never occured. Instead, Ceiphied started to chuckle. He began to giggle, and slowly worked his way up to full evil, diabolic laughter. 

"But I need all of you in order to defeat them, so I'm going to spare you all...THIS TIME. That is, except for the fools that FAILED ME..." he said, glaring at the Elite. 

The soldiers watched in the usual horror as he transformed and ate all five of them in a evil display of his power and why you NEVER failed Ceiphied. He then replaced them as usual. 

"Now that our foes have a new toy, they will most likely do to this, and the fact that there is now great confusion with the loss of Navcase, they will become cocky and attack our base for payback. So we should be prepared for their arrival." 

Ceiphied began to laugh again. 

"And to think, those fools have no idea of my true plan..." Ceiphied said, breaking into a full evil cackle of glee, that echoed throughout the surrounding area. 

Back on the Isle... 

"ANOTHER PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE?" Rowen exclaimed.   
"Yes Rowen. Due to the fact that we are much stronger now with White Reflection, and their loss of Navcase, it is a opportune time to attack their base and kick Ceiphied's scaly ass." Anubis said.   
"Um, didn't you remember what happened LAST TIME we tried that?" Kento reminded him.   
"It will be different this time. We have Ryo and his Wings of Flame." Anubis said.   
"Yeah, but you don't have your armor anymore." Sage said.   
"I'm sure Ryo only purified it. I should still be able to summon it." Anubis said. 

Everyone began to stare at Anubis, as if they wanted him to demonstrate he could still call on his Armor. 

"ARMOR OF DEATHSCYTHE!!!!! TAO CHU!!!!!!!!!!" Anubis shouted dramatically. 

It was the same. No silk strands, no flowered wallpaper, no cherry blossoms. 

"ARMOR OF DEATHSCYTHE!!!!! TAO CHU!!!!" Anubis shouted again. 

Nothing. 

"HELLO? DEATHSCYTHE!!!!!! I, ANUBIS HAVE CALLED FOR YOUR POWER!!!!" he shouted. 

Again, nothing. 

"ARMOR OF WHITE NEO CRUELTY!!!! TAO CHU CHU!!!!" Anubis shouted, in hopes that he could summon his other armor. 

Nothing happened. No dramatic display, no armor appearing, just Anubis, screaming like a fool. 

Anubis pulled out his armor orb, hoping that had something to do with it. Suddenly, a small crack opened in it. It grew larger and larger, until... 

The armor orb shattered. 

"This is a bad sign...maybe we shouldn't go attack..." Dais suggested.   
"We can still attack! I'll just go along as an advisor!" Anubis declared. 

After a few minutes of diliberation, the heroes gave in and let Anubis come with them. Dais had to carry Anubis to the battlefield, his hair dramatically blowing out behind him, as Ryo flew along like the cast of DBZ. Slowly but surely they reached the enemy base, before Rowen spotted energy blasts headed towards them. 

"Guys, we've got company!" Rowen shouted. 

Down on the ground, the Ishibiya Corps were ordered to fire again and again. 

"I'll handle this. Tsubasa no Hi! Renzoku Dan En!" Ryo shouted. 

His wings began to raid down rapid fire fireballs with every flap of them, incinerating the enemies below as the group slowly landed within the base. As each touched down, they drew their weapons and began to fight with the assembled Draconai. Ryo was the last to land. 

"Tsubasa no Hi! Ken En!" he shouted, calling for his flame swords. 

He slashed Draconai down left and right, his blades slashing cleanly through their AT Fields. The others managed to cause great pain to the creatures as well, before the Elite rained hell down on them. 

"Look out!" Anubis said, hiding back with the Forgotten Souls, spotting the Elite.   
"TSUBASA NO HI!!!!!!!! KEKKAI EN!!!!!!!!!!!" Ryo shouted, his wings spreading out in front of his allies, forming a wall of protection.   
"It's Ryo! KILL HIM!!!!" Kouen ordered. 

They fired their breath weapons at Ryo, who screamed and put up his AT Field to block. 

"Tsubasa no Hi...Kei EN!!!!" Ryo shouted. His wings reformed into a long whip of flame, which he used to nail the Elite. 

"Tsubasa no Hi...Tatsumaki En!" he shouted. 

His wings formed into a large tornado of flame, which sucked up the enemy, and burned them to a crisp before dropping them to the ground. Ryo continued his firey onslaught. 

"Tsubasa no Hi! HIDAMA EN!!!!" He shouted, his wings forming into a huge fireball that he sent screaming into the Draconai, torching them endlessly. 

"Whoa, Ryo, you're getting good with those things." Rowen said.   
"Yeah, practice makes perfect." Ryo replied. "Now let's go inside." 

The two walked up to the front doors of the base, and began to pull them open. Through the crack, Ryo could see two objects glowing. 

"ROWEN!!! LOOK OUT!!!" Ryo shouted, attempting to put up his AT Field in time, but it was too late. The blasts knocked both of them back. 

The group watched in horror as the doors completely opened into darkness, and the sound of metal footsteps was heard. Slowly, but surely, a form stepped into the Light. It was Ceiphied. 

He reached onto his back, and detached the Sword of Ryuujin, and extended it to battle length. 

"Now, you all die..." Ceiphied replied.   


  


**To Be Continued...**   


  
  
  


**Next Episode**

ANUBIS: Well, this was unexpected! 

DAIS: We've fought the Dragons how long and you haven't figured that out? 

ANUBIS: Ryo faces off against Ceiphied, as he struggles to keep White Reflection from being called upon. But what's this? A helmet from the sky? What could this mean? It's next time on Ronin Warriors, Dragon's Wrath, Wings of Darkness. 

SUIREN: Please look forward to it!   
  
  



	15. Wings of Darkness

"ROWEN!!! LOOK OUT!!!" Ryo shouted, attempting to put up his AT Field in time, but it was too late. The blasts knocked both of them back. 

The group watched in horror as the doors completely opened into darkness, and the sound of metal footsteps was heard. Slowly, but surely, a form stepped into the Light. It was Ceiphied. 

He reached onto his back, and detached the Sword of Ryuujin, and extended it to battle length. 

"Now, you all die..." Ceiphied replied.   
  
  
  
  


**Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath**   
**Chapter 15: Wings of Darkness**

Ryo rose to his feet and charged the evil demon, summoning his flame blades as soon as possible, slashing, only to be blocked by Ceiphied's own weapon. He began a relentless slashing assault on Ryo, hitting again and again, with Ryo barely able to parry. Ceiphied was strong for a good reason. It seemed he was getting stronger by the minute, as if the armor was reacting to his needs. But what could he possibly need? Ryo was not sure. Still, he continued to fend off the relentless attacks, knowing full well his friends could not even stand up to him. 

"Whoa! Ryo's holding off their boss!" Kento exclaimed.   
"No, their boss is beating them down." Rowen observed.   
"He's attacking relentlessly...he must know how to use that thing better than Navcase." Sage said.   
"But what could he be trying to do?" Sai asked. 

Anubis watched as did the Ronins, trying to analyze Ceiphied's objective. He observed Ryo closely. He felt something. Ryo was trying to call upon a tremendous amount of power to hold him back. He had a feeling Ceiphied knew this as well. But what could it be? Then, he had it. 

Of course! WHITE REFLECTION! 

"Rowen! We've got to create a diversion so that Ryo can power up the armor. Ready?" Anubis said. 

Before they could, they were ambushed by Draconai soldiers, forcing Ryo to fight off Ceiphied for a little longer while they managed to get themselves free. Fortunately, a salvo of missiles and some reinforcement from the Forgotten Souls made that easier. 

Everyone except Anubis went to the starting positions of their katas and let fly, building up energy as Ryo was slowly pushed back by Ceiphied. Ceiphied's eyes glowed briefly and summoned an amazing amount of strength that knocked the hero onto his back. Ryo tried to scurry away as Ceiphied prepared to impale him with his sword when he heard the cries of several voices. 

Then it hit. Every sure-kill slammed into Ceiphied, the armor barely fending them off. Ceiphied swung the blade, sending them flying off harmlessly. 

"You fools! You forgot that this armor has that capability?" Ceiphied said, mocking his worthless opponents. 

Then, he heard another voice. 

"ARMOR OF WHITE REFLECTION!!!!!!!!" Ryo screamed out. 

No! This couldn't be happening! The sure-kills were simply a diversion to buy Ryo enough time to call the armor. He had to stop this. But due to the Laws governing Anime, he could only watch as Ryo was trapped in a time freeze and called upon his armor. Saber Strike knelt before him and Ryo drew the swords from the sheaths on his back, and crossed them before charging Ceiphied. Sparks flew as the blades met, the two clashed swords again and again. The battle took to the sky as they charged each other again and again, in a dramatic display of aerial combat. The group watched from the ground as the battle continued onward. Though Anubis watched with great lament. 

"Hey, Anubis, what's wrong?" Rowen asked.   
"Nothing...I am happy for Ryo, and his armor is quite awesome...yet..."   
"What?" Kento asked.   
"It has been my greatest regret that in the most epic of battles...I have been unable to fight alongside him. I am eternally indebted to him for many things...and it has been impossible to repay him." 

Suddenly, Ceiphied managed to get in a lucky blow, one that sent Ryo flying through the air and crashing into a series of crates. Ryo shot back into the air, but Ceiphied slammed him down once again, before returning to the ground himself. The group watched in horror as Ceiphied got closer and closer. But suddenly Anubis heard something in his head. 

"Look up..." it said. 

He did, just as an object fell from the sky and sent Kale slamming back first into the ground. As various birds, stars, and other objects swirled around Kale's head and his eyes went swirly and he began to moan, Anubis picked up the object to find that it was a helmet. He held it in his hands, and the others watched as the kanji for Darkness began to glow on his neck. 

He seemed to go into a sort of trance. Minutes later it ended, with the Ronins wondering what had happened. 

"Hey! Anubis, what happened?" Rowen asked.   
"Yeah, are you okay man?" Kento asked.   
"I understand now...I am a Seishi as Ryo is...and we shall be forever linked by steel..." Anubis said, kind of out of it.   
"Huh?" Kento asked, confused.   
"I also have an armor of great power." Anubis said. 

He placed the helmet on his head, and a purple aura erupted around him as his casual wardrobe was replaced with one that looked like Death. The helmet vanished, and he called to the heavens, as Ryo had before. 

"ARMOR OF DARK ABSORPTION!!!!!!!!!!" 

As with Ryo, an armor resembling Deathscythe Hell Custom began to attach itself to his body piece by piece, and Anubis was set to battle once again. 

"Any last words Seishi?" Ceiphied asked as he prepared to do Ryo in.   
"Yeah. Look behind you." Ryo said slyly. 

Ceiphied whirled around, barely having enough time to block Anubis' scythe as it came crashing down on top of him. Anubis backed away and slashed again, this time nailing Ceiphied. Anubis closed the wings and vanished, leaving Ceiphied confused as to his whereabouts. He felt a slash from behind, and turned to find that Anubis had left a large gash in the back of Ryuujin! 

"CURSE YOU!!!!" Ceiphied said.   
"Now to finish this." Anubis said. 

He began twirling his staff and banged it into the ground, calling out Quake With Fear, but nothing happened. 

"What? It didn't work!" Anubis shouted, confused. 

Ceiphied knocked both of them back with an Emerald Blast. 

"Fools as usual." Ceiphied said.   
"Anubis!" Ryo said through their comm link. "Can you buy me some time to power up?"   
*"I will. I've got an idea." Anubis said. 

Anubis once again engaged the cloak, forcing Ceiphied to become angry, angrier still as Ryo rose into the air. Ceiphied searched around furiously, trying to locate Anubis, for several minutes. 

"DAMN THAT ACCURSED CLOAK!!!!" Ceiphied roared.   
"LUMINANCE FROM THE HEAVENS!!!!" Ryo screamed. 

The blast rained down, causing Ceiphied to scream in pain as the searing white light nailed him. When the blast ended, his armor smoked from the heat. He struggled to his feet and flew back into the safety of the base, and the Ronins cheered before flying home to celebrate. 

And celebrate they did. The drinks were broken out, Sai cooked an enormous feast, both to celebrate their first victory over Ceiphied, and Anubis' awakening. Anubis drifted away from the celebration midway through. Ryo saw him leave and followed him to the Shrine. 

"Hey Anubis, why aren't you celebrating? This party's partially because of you man." Ryo said, clad in his Seishi garb.   
"I know...it's just my wish has not completely been granted...I have a powerful armor...but it seems to lack a sure-kill attack." Anubis replied.   
"Don't worry man. You've got time, you'll figure out how the armor works. I'm still learning the tricks to White Reflection." Ryo said. "Come on. We've got some partying to do."   
"Right." 

Mia ran in. 

"Anubis, you've got to hurry. Kale..." 

Anubis froze. This was definitely bad. 

"What happened?" Anubis asked.   
"Come see for yourself..." Mia said. 

Upon their arrival, the two quickly learned two things. 

One, Kale had lost his mind--again. 

Two, there was not a cloud in the sky. 

"He got drunk, and now he's babbling in some weird language..." 

"PH33R ME!!!!! Joo Must PH33R MI L33T EPYON SKILZZ!!!!!" Kale babbled. 

Anubis groaned. And then he took off. 

"Where you going Anubis?" Ryo asked.   
"To find someone!" 

Somewhere in Tokyo... 

Anubis soared over the city. He looked around for the person he was seeking out. He passed over a group of three schoolgirls, two of which seemed to be teasing their friend about having a crush on a guy. He then spotted a young girl, dressed as a waitress, and traced her path back to a "MEGAGAMERS" store. Anubis forced his way in by slashing down the door with his Beam Scythe. He was greeted by a young man in glasses. 

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he demanded. "And why are you dressed like a Gundam?" he continued.   
"No time to explain, I'm looking for someone..." 

Anubis looked in the corner where he found a spikey-haired man eating spaghetti. He promptly grabbed him and dragged him back to the Isle, leaving the man and his strange other roommate, which appeared to be some sort of girl, very confused. 

"Who was that Piro-san?" she asked.   
"I think that was Shutendouji, from that old Anime Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, wearing a Gundam Deathscythe Hell Custom like armor..." he said.   
"Ohhh." she replied. 

Anubis arrived back on the Isle very quickly, dragging the individual over to where Kale was still babbling incoherently. 

"NOW TRANSLATE!!!!!" Anubis ordered. 

The young man nodded and proceeded to interpret Kale's craziness... 

Meanwhile, up in the Heavens... 

Navcase seemed to be floating in nothingness. Before him, he began to see more images. 

_"Shinta, remember how when you were a boy, I let you hold a sword? You did it perfectly, without any prior instruction. That's how I knew you were my son…" he heard his father say._

"I remember…" Navcase thought. 

During training with Hiko once, he had been knocked to the ground, and Hiko had declared that they call it a day. But he had risen up to his feet, and seemed to surge with incredible energy, as his master had later told him before he died. He had tried to ask him why he decided to call him Navcase, but that was an answer that was too late. 

It had always lingered him. Why was he called Navcase? His master said that the name almost seemed to come to him, but he could not get any more than that. 

The perfect sword grip…the power that Hiko sensed that helped him see Navcase had potential…how could all these be possible? 

"Hey! You there!" a voice called out. 

Navcase looked around, before spotting a young man wearing a blue outfit. He appeared to be smiling. 

"Me?" Navcase asked.   
"Yes, you." The man said, smiling still. He seemed to sound very feminine.   
"May I help you?" Navcase asked.   
"You're Shinta Tennomi right?" the man asked. 

Navcase nodded. 

The man smiled, or rather continued to smile. "Good. Then I entered the right dream. I didn't want to go see Shishio-sama. He's mad at me because I got to go to heaven and he didn't. Oh well, I guess that's because of my nickname." The man said, smiling still. 

Navcase tried very hard to sense this person who had come to visit him as his master had taught him. But he found nothing. He had no will to fight, nor did he project a desire to kill. This was odd. 

"Your nickname?" Navcase asked.   
"Tenken." The man replied, continuing to smile. "It's because my skill with a sword seems to be handed to me from the heavens. Like yours." The man continued.   
"Mine?" Navcase said, puzzled.   
"Yeah. Haven't you found it strange, how that the second you picked up a sword, you instinctively knew the basics of using it? Sure, you made it stronger by training in a particular school of swordsmanship, but it was always there, just waiting to come out. And by the way, that sensing thing you're trying to do on me? Trust me, It won't work. Another guy with your style tried it, and he got nowhere. So we just swung at each other. He broke his sword too."   
"Wha?" Navcase said, puzzled.   
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, that's what you use, right? And you also use the adaptation of the Hiratsuki technique developed by the third captain of the Shinsengumi, the Gatousu, correct?" the man asked.   
"Yes…" Navcase said. "But what does this have to do with my skill with a sword."   
"Don't you find it odd that your last name means Sword of Heaven, and that you use a technique called Sword of the Soaring Heavens?"   
"Coincidence?" Navcase asked.   
"There is a fine line between coincidence and fate. That and the strong survive and the weak die. But that's another story…" 

The man began to mutter curse words about some bandaged man under his breath, yet continuing to smile. Then he continued. 

"I'm called Tenken. But your name means the same thing. Your father told you that fate seems to lead your family to swordsmanship, right? My skill probably really doesn't come from the heavens, but yours does. You really are a Sword of Heaven. But unlike your ancestors, who claim that the heavens guide them to swordsmanship, you are destined to wield your sword in the name of the heavens. So you are a Sword of Heaven because your skill with a sword comes as a gift from the heavens, fate leads you to swordsmanship, and you are destined to use your skill with a sword to serve the heavens. Do you understand?" the man asked.   
"I think so…but I'm still confused."   
"Don't worry. Things will make sense in time. I've got to get going. There's this Chinese Emperor who wants me to show him something. It would be easier, if he wasn't so obsessed with his looks. See you around."   
"Okay…Soujirou Seta." Navcase said with a smile.   
"How'd you figure it out?" Soujirou asked.   
"Number one, I was in Kyoto around the Meiji Era and seemed to hear reports about a boy who you couldn't sense, always smiled and said his sword technique was a gift from the heavens. That, and I know the author has a friend who's a big fan of yours."   
"She wouldn't physically be Enishi's style, and live near Seattle would she?" 

Navcase nodded. 

"Um, I better be going now…that emperor gets really angry sometimes…" 

With that, Soujirou vanished, leaving Navcase to ponder what he had said. 

"Hey! Navcase! Wake up!" he heard a voice call. He opened his eyes to see Ayame, now un-godessed, standing over him with the other girls.   
"How do you feel?" Ran asked. 

Navcase inspected himself. He felt fine. Wonderful, actually. As he examined his body, he found that there were no scales. Anywhere! He was healed! 

"The curse! Thank you so much..." Navcase said, at a loss for words.   
"You should thank yourself. It was your own power that healed you." Amaterasu said.   
"My...own power?" Navcase said, confused.   
"We just helped unlock your hidden power from within." Ayame explained.   
"Three down, four to go." Yuri exclaimed. 

Navcase was very confused. Could this be what Soujirou meant? Before he could ponder this, however, Suiren grabbed his hand and dragged him off. 

"Where are you taking me?" he demanded.   
"To give you a makeover! When was the last time you combed that hair? It's worse than Sakura's! But she won't let me touch it. If you're gonna be one of our protectors you've gotta look cool!" Suiren said, as she dragged him into her room. She sat him down in a chair and then proceeded to look around the room for something. 

"Now where was it..." she said, going through a stack of magazines, pictures, manga, and doujinshi. 

Navcase examined his surroundings. It was either a shrine of some sort or hell on Earth for him. All it needed was a sign on the door reading, "abandon all hope, ye who enter here." The walls were plastered of pictures of bishounen after bishounen. A few were even signed. There seemed to be several of a bluish-green haired man in Chinese garb and a red-haired man in a trenchcoat, of which she had a life-size poster listing his code name, height, birthday, and real name. From the looks of it Sakura's wardrobe was based off of him. He cringed in pain as he heard her exclaim that she had found what she was looking for. He could barely make out the picture. It looked like some man looking like a cross between Van Fanel and the Moonlight Knight, with insert sketches of parts of his armor and a few close-ups of the face and hair. Suiren had a very evil looking smile on her face as she brought out a brush and a pair of scissors. 

"Let's SHAKE THE DEW OFF THIS LILLY!" Suiren exclaimed evilly. 

Navcase screamed, shaking the entire palace as screams of pain and miniature earthquakes, along with the sounds of various power tools echoed through the palace. 

Sakura, who was trying to polish her swords, began to get quite angry as the racket got louder and louder. She began to sharpen faster and faster, making sure not to damage the swords in any way. 

Yuri reclined on a chair in the living room, blocking out the sound somehow as she read through a magazine on the latest bodybuilding techniques. Ayame kicked back on another one, drowning out the screams of pain to the musical stylings of Ayumi Hamasaki and Morning Musume, and Ran, brought out a pair of earplugs, stuck them in her ears, and plopped her head down on a pillow, smiling and sighing as she began to doze off as she began to take a nap on the couch. 

Meanwhile, back at Ceiphied's... 

It was just as noisy. 

"ACCURSED RONINS!!!!! WHY DO THESE SEISHI HAVE TO APPEAR NOW? SO FAR, TWO OF HERS HAVE APPEARED AND YET NONE OF DRAKKA'S HAVE EVEN SHOWN UP!!!! I have to destroy them before any more appear. KOUEN!!!" he bellowed. 

Kouen and the other Elite raced into Ceiphied's chambers, for even being a nanosecond late when Ceiphied was pissed off was a pink slip. 

"You called my Lord?" Kouen asked. 

Ceiphied looked towards the Isle of Mists, his aura slowly subsiding as he calmed down. 

"Gather your warriors, and restrengthen our ranks with the prisoners we took. We are going Seishi hunting." Ceiphied said.   
"At once my Lord." Kouen declared. 

The Elite left, leaving Ceiphied to stare in the direction of the Isle, with his hands behind his back. 

"My turn, Amaterasu." he said.   
  
  
  
  


**To Be Continued...**   


  
  
  
  
  


**Next Episode**

SAKURA: DAMN THAT ACCURSED EPITOME OF FEMININITY!!!!! THE RONINS ARE GOING TO GET THEIR ASSES KICKED, AND ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS MAKING OVER NAVCASE!!!!!! 

AYAME: Well, she does have to get him up to concept art standard... 

YURI: He's got to look the part, after all. Right Ran? 

RAN: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....Sai... 

SAKURA: WELL, CAN'T SHE HURRY UP????? IS SHE GOING TO DO THIS EVERY TIME???   


AYAME: Probably not. The next guy's too rough for her to even get near him. 

SAKURA: Ryo IS going to live, isn't he? 

AYAME: Dunno. I'm only on page 13. Haven't finished reading the script yet. 

SAKURA: AAAAAAAH!!!!!! IS HE GOING TO BE READY IN TIME???? PLEASE TELL ME HE WILL BE!!!! 

YURI: Sorry, I haven't read the whole script yet either. 

SAKURA: Who has? 

YURI, AYAME: Ran. 

RAN: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...m-hmmm....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 

DK: Ceiphied's army prepares to give the Ronins a fight they will not forget, again. Will Navcase get there in time? 

SAKURA: I thought we fired him!!!!! 

YURI: Well he still has to play Dad, and Sun Devil... 

SAKURA: (Flips left sword upside down) Kaiten...Kenbu... 

YURI: Please let the guy live...he's got a family... 

SUIREN: It's all Next time on Ronin Warriors Dragon's Wrath: Sword of Heaven Don't miss, it, okay? 

NAVCASE: Help me...somebody...please...   


One more thing: Piro, Largo, Kimiko, Yuki et al. are copyright 2000, 2001, Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston over at www.megatokyo.com. Go check their webcomic out. It's good.   
  
  



	16. Sword of Heaven

Ceiphied looked towards the Isle of Mists, his aura slowly subsiding as he calmed down. 

"Gather your warriors, and restrengthen our ranks with the prisoners we took. We are going Seishi hunting." Ceiphied said.   
"At once my Lord." Kouen declared. 

The Elite left, leaving Ceiphied to stare in the direction of the Isle, with his hands behind his back. 

"My turn, Amaterasu." he said.   


  


Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 16: Sword of Heaven   


  
  
  
  


The celebration/memorial service continued through the night, and partially into the morning. The Ronins lay asleep, not even aware of the impending doom headed their way. Ceiphied's army, led by the evil himself slowly but surely approached. Ceiphied watched the island grow larger and larger as he got closer and closer. The heroes would soon be crushed like the insects they were. He smiled evilly under his helmet in anticipation. 

Back at the palace of the Heavens, Ran's eyes fluttered open. She rubbed them briefly and let out a big yawn as she sat up on the couch. Looking to her right, she observed Yuri with her head back, her magazine somewhere on the floor near her feet, reclined completely backward, snoring loud enough to peel paint as usual. She looked across from Yuri, where Ayame was sound asleep on another chair, her earbuds still in her ears. On another chair, she found Sakura, swords placed neatly in their sheaths, her head tilted to the right, breathing gently as she in a rare occurrence, was asleep too. Ran removed the plugs from her ears, and grimaced at the loud noise that was still coming from Suiren's room. 

_"Back to Sleep..." _Ran thought to herself as she started to lay back down and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to relax. 

And then the sound stopped. 

Back on the Isle... 

"EVERYONE!!! WAKE UP!!!" Hariel shouted, running down from a hilltop to where the entire group was quite wiped out.   
"Just five more minutes mommy..." Kento moaned, half-asleep.   
"Wha...what's going on?" Anubis wondered, starting to wake up.   
"It's the Draconai. They're going to attack!" Hariel shouted, rushing off to reach the Forgotten Souls. 

This news snapped the heroes to wakefulness. 

"We must go and stop them. We must not let them take this island." Anubis said.   
"Gotcha." Ryo said. 

The group quickly called upon their armor and trudged across the island to the side where the Dragons had struck before. The group tightened their grip around their weaponry, knowing that with Ceiphied in the lead, that this battle would be quite more difficult. The group cleared the last hill before the beach, ready with all their weapons trained on the skies...but the Draconai never even began to appear. 

Rowen surveyed the sky, looking to the north, where they expected the attack to come from, then to the west, where he again found nothing. He was worried. Hariel said he had picked them up on radar, but there was no visual confirmation of where they were approaching from. It was only as he began to turn towards the east that he caught a glimpse of several forms approaching, TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISLAND!!!!!! 

"Guys! We've got a problem. Look over there." Rowen said, pointing.   
"What Rowen...OOOH SHIT." Kento said.   
"They tricked us!" Sai said.   
"Damn, now what do we do?" Sage said.   
"Look out!" Anubis shouted, his eyes trained on the sky.   
"Huh?" Kale said, only to be nailed by Ishibiya blasts seconds later.   
"Good shot! We hit the stupid one! Fire again!" Gekidoku commanded. 

Kale rose up, and ignited his blade. 

"I AM SICK AND TIRED..." Kale said as they prepared to fire again.   
"FIRE!!!" Gekidoku shouted to the Ishibiya Corps.   
"OF BEING USED FOR TARGET PRACTICE!!!!!!" Kale shouted, knocking the energy bolts back at the Ishibiya Corps, causing them to drop like flies.   
"Good work Kale!" Anubis shouted.   
"Didn't Destonus promise us he wouldn't blast Kale any more?" Dais asked.   
"We'll deal with him later. Right now, we must stop the Draconai from advancing." Anubis said.   
"Right. Let's get over to the other side of the island and hold them off--" Ryo began. 

"There they are! Charge!" Gekidoku commanded his men. 

"Okay, slight change in plans. Anubis, you and the Warlords see what you can do about this, while the rest of us hightail it over to the southern part and beat Ceiphied's main force down. Got it?" Ryo said.   
"Right Ryo." Anubis said.   
"Hey, how come they get the tough challenge?" Sekhmet asked.   
"Because he's Tsubasa no Hi..." Sai said proudly. He ran off as Sekhmet brought out his swords. The Ronins began to hightail it over, leaving the three Warlords and one Seishi to take out Gekidoku's group. 

"Well Anubis, why don't you do that Seishi thing you do?" Sekhmet asked.   
"I'm even sure how to. It may have been a fluke. I don't even know what my power is." Anubis said. 

Sekhmet looked at him angrily. Anubis sighed, closed his eyes, and began to focus. Before long the kanji glowed, Anubis was surrounded in a purple aura and clothed like Death, brandishing a large scythe. 

"Let's do it." Anubis said. 

The group let out a battle cry and ran down the hill, their weapons immediately colliding with the enemy. Sekhmet slashed down soldier after soldier. Dais whacked several others upside the head with his nunchucku and Beam Saber. Others were whipped away by Kale's Heat Rod. 

Anubis meanwhile was parrying claws and taking slashes with his scythe, which seemed to be doing less damage than he expected. The Draconai got back up after being knocked down, and began to close in on him. Sekhmet spotted this and began to slash his way to his leader. 

_"Focus your power..." _Amaterasu's voice whispered to Anubis. 

Anubis held his scythe in front of him in a defensive stance and began to focus. His kanji glowed once again, and the aura began to rise up and flow into his blade, causing it to glow. Anubis opened his eyes dramatically, and with a battle cry, he slashed into a charging Draconai. There was a huge flash of light, as the warrior disintegrated, leaving behind the energist, which Anubis quickly smashed. The other soldiers, seeing this, were terrified and began to back away, as Anubis went skyward, hitting Draconai after Draconai, destroying their bodies. There was but one left, and Anubis charged, and swung with all his might... 

...and then the glow faded. 

Gekidoku and several other minions that joined him were enraged and proceeded to beat down Anubis, who started to fall back, as did the others. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Ryo floated in the air as the other Ronins tore into the advancing horde with their cannons. Fireballs from Ryo's wings also tore them down slowly but surely. But they continued to advance. 

"CHARGE!!!! CHARGE!!!!!" Ceiphied ordered as his troops continued to charge. 

"Tsubasa no Hi...HIDAMA EN!!!!" Ryo shouted, sending another one of his super fireballs screaming into the assault force. They got to their feet and continued to push forward. 

"Use your Chi Blasts!" Ceiphied ordered. 

The Draconai began charging their Chi, forming it into balls of energy. Ryo spotted this and knew he had to defend. 

"Tsubasa no Hi..." he began. 

Suddenly one of Ceiphied's emerald blasts nailed Ryo, canceling out his wings and causing him to fall to the ground. The Chi blasts then slammed into the heroes, knocking them off their feet, allowing the Draconai to get a larger foothold on the island. 

"We've got to fall back!" Rowen exclaimed.   
"I'm...Not..." Ryo said, slowly struggling to get to his feet. His wings began to crackle once again as they flared out again, as his aura erupted to astronomical levels. 

"GIVING UP YET!!!!!!!!!" Ryo shouted, sending a extremely powerful Hidama En into the Draconai Ranks, charring many, but still with many more to deal with. 

"Ryo, we've got to rethink this." Rowen said. 

Ryo refused to listen and instead, with his flame swords charged headlong into the advancing Draconai ranks, only to be knocked back. Kento and Sage grabbed onto Ryo as he attempted to charge them again, but Ryo knocked them aside as he spread his flame wings once again. 

"Tsubasa no Hi...Shinkuu Renzoku Dan En!" Ryo shouted, sending millions of rapid fire flame blasts flying from his wings, at a Vegeta-like rate, knocking down Draconai after Draconai, until Ceiphied had Kouen's clan take point, Ryo's blasts unable to harm them. 

"DIE!!!!! ALL OF YOU!!!!!!" Ryo shouted, furious.   
"Ryo...Sakura, forgive me." Sage said, bowing his head. He then clipped Ryo in the back of the neck, causing the hero to be knocked out and fall on his shoulder, his wings fading into nothing as they began to fall back as Ceiphied and his forces gathered more ground. 

"Run! Run away! Your deaths are inevitable Ronins!" Ceiphied declared. 

_Meanwhile, back at the Palace..._

Ran noticed that the racket coming from Suiren's room had stopped finally. She hopped off the couch and began to shake her snoring eldest sister. 

"Oneesan! Oneesan! The noise stopped! Suiren's finished!" Ran shouted excitedly.   
"Huh, Wha?" Yuri said sleepily as she slowly began to wake up. She returned the seat to its upright position, stretched out and let out a huge yawn as she did so. "That was a nice nap. I had a wonderful dream about eating a 16 course meal with Kento." She said happily. And what about you? Did you have a nice nap too? I'm sure you slept like a little angel." Yuri teased. 

"Oneesan..." Ran blushed.   
"Yeah, you're making her blush." Ayame said as she woke up as well.   
"And how was your nap, Sleeping Beauty?" Ran teased.   
"Number one, don't call me Sleeping Beauty even though I deserve it. To answer your question, I never sleep enough. I always wake up wanting more. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to wake up Sleeping Ugly over here." Ayame said as she turned to her sister, who was sound asleep, with one hand on her sheath, sleeping almost like the Battousai. When Ayame tapped her, she was greeted by Sakura's sword at her throat. 

"JEEZ Sakura, when are you going to stop that? You nearly Killed me!" Ayame shouted.   
"I must always be ready for any attackers that may come to kill me while I sleep." Sakura said.   
"How? This palace is tightly guarded like a fortress. Plus, no one can get in unless they're immortal, granted permission, or DEAD. Plus, the only enemies of ours that would want to destroy this place, can't, because of the seal." Ayame said.   
"It never hurts to be prepared." Sakura replied.   
"Yeah, but it hurts to be almost sliced in two by someone who is prepared..." Ayame mumbled.   
"What was that?" Sakura shouted.   
"What's this? You know Ryo's okay, you know he still loves you, so why do you have your swords still stuck up your ass? And what happened to treating me better?" Ayame asked. 

Sakura took out her other sword and was about to flip it upside down in her hand but Yuri stopped her. 

"That's enough. Let's go see if Navcase's still alive." Yuri said. 

Sakura put away her weapons as the group slowly walked up the stairs towards Suiren's room. They tensed, began to sweat as they knocked on the door. 

"Are you done in there Suiren?" Yuri asked.   
"Almost...there, I'm finished." Suiren said through the door.   
"Is he still alive in there?" Ayame asked jokingly.   
"Ayame!" Yuri scolded.   
"Yes. He was a very willing subject." Suiren said.   
"Willing isn't the word I would use to describe the process...more like tortured..." Navcase said.   
"You said you liked it." Suiren said.   
"I did. I just did not care for the procedure at which this was arrived." Navcase answered.   
"Can we see him?" Ran asked.   
"Okay. Go back to the living room and close your eyes." Suiren said. 

The group groaned as they trudged back and sat down on the couch and chairs. 

"This better be worth it, or I'm going back to sleep." Ayame said.   
"But you're always asleep." Sakura said. 

"Okay...you can open them!" Suiren said. 

The girls opened their eyes, and were shocked, stunned, and otherwise awed at the sight of the new and improved Navcase. Suiren had cut his hair shorter; it now went as far as his shoulders. It was mostly brown, grayish on top with red tips. A strand fell over his right eye. He had a white shirt and pants, from what they could see, that ended in golden gauntlets that covered his forearms. Most of his shirt was covered up by an overcoat with a collar that closed around his neck and was held in place by two red jeweled buttons. It was held in place by a golden sash around his waist, and broke in two near the bottom, where they could see his golden metal boots. A white cape was draped over his shoulder, held in place by another red jeweled button. The hero looked somewhere between an Arabian and Romanesque. 

"Whoa...Did you dress him too?" Ayame asked, starting to drool.   
"Nah. That's from his Seishi power. I helped him pick it out though." Suiren exclaimed.   
"You look really handsome Navcase." Ran blushed.   
"Thank you." Navcase replied, causing her to turn even redder. Sakura snorted at the sickening sight.   
"Sakura, stop being rude to Navcase." Ayame said.   
"I'm not. But looks are infinitesimal compared to one's skill in battle." Sakura replied.   
"Sakura, don't start." Yuri cautioned.   
"You bring up an excellent point." Navcase said.   
"So then why are you decked out like a bishounen?" Sakura shot back.   
"He's our guest!" Yuri said boldly. "Apologize to him!"   
"No, it's quite all right. It was Suiren's idea." Navcase replied.   
"YOU ACTUALLY LISTENED TO MY BOY-CRAZED SISTER?" Sakura bellowed, loud enough for Suiren to hear. "All she does all day is gossip with her little girlfriends about boys and other worthless stuff. You must be a fool to take advice from her." Sakura said, while Suiren's eyes began to water. Yuri spotted this and prepared to slap Sakura, but Navcase gently pushed her hand down.   
"I never had any real siblings, so I could not begin to understand the relationship you must have. Nor do I know why you hold such resentment against them. However, I do know, that looking in your eyes, there is a lust for battle...but there is something else I see, but you must learn that for yourself." Navcase said. 

Amaterasu entered the hall, breaking up the little dispute. 

"Sakura, go to your room. I heard you yelling as I came up the stairs. You can come out when I tell you to." Amaterasu said. Sakura trudged off and slammed the door. "I apologize for this Navcase. Usually she's much better behaved."   
"I understand. Is there anything I can do to help?" Navcase asked.   
"No, that's all right. I need you to come with me though." 

Navcase and the other girls followed Amaterasu to her viewing room, where the current conflict between the heroes and the Draconai was going on. 

"Ceiphied is quickly advancing on the island. The Ronins are holding out as best they can, but they need extreme help. We have modified yet another of the Armors of Light into a new form, called the Armor of Hope. I need you to take this armor with you and use its power to take out Ceiphied." Amaterasu explained.   
"I shall take this armor, but I will not use it to assassinate him. I wish to fight him on my own terms. I respect my honor as a warrior above all else." Navcase explained.   
"I understand Navcase." Amaterasu said.   
"I will do what I can." he said.   
"Once you are ready, call on the power with the words, "Kai Jin." I will then send a tremendous amount of my own Chi from this chamber to the armor's cells, which you can then focus through the main guns. Good luck, Navcase." she said. 

He began to leave the room. He had about reached the door when Amaterasu called out, "My Sword of Heaven." 

He stopped suddenly and slowly turned towards her. 

"Then I am..."   
"Yes, you are Ten No Mi, the Third Seishi of Amaterasu, the 'one who is destined to wield his sword in the Name of the Heavens.' My gift to you is the power of innate skill with the sword. It was I who gave you that name."   
"But My Master named me Navcase." Navcase said curiously.   
"It was I who whispered it in his ear. The name is proof of your heritage as a Seishi."   
"So it WAS you." Navcase said.   
"Yes. You must hurry. The Ronins need your help. Go. I shall open a portal in the courtyard for you." 

Navcase headed for the courtyard, where Amaterasu would open a portal to take him to Talpa's. He heard footsteps and found Ayame running up behind him, gasping for breath, carrying his sword. 

"You forgot this." Ayame said, handing him the blade, blushing slightly. He took it from her and slipped it in his sash.   
"Thank you. Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Navcase said. 

The portal opened and he leapt in, vanishing instantly. 

"Bye..." Ayame said, standing there, blushing, while her hair blew gently in the wind. 

Navcase quickly arrived at Talpa's, where Kayura greeted him. 

"Welcome. Good to have you back. I hope you know how to fly?" Kayura asked.   
"Fly?" Navcase asked, confused.   
"Yes, with your Ki." Kayura said.   
"I'm afraid not." Navcase replied.   
"All right then. Focus your Ki, and you will begin to fly. It is one of the abilities of being a Seishi." Kayura said. 

Navcase rocketed out of the palace at high speed. This technique was new to him, but he knew he had to perfect it if he was to protect Amaterasu and the girls. Soujirou was right; nothing was a coincidence when it came to him. It was fate. It was a fate that he would be honored to follow through with. With that, he rocketed forward at breakneck speed. 

On the Northern end of the Isle, Gekidoku's forces celebrated their securing, before one of the soldiers pointed out that he spotted a streak of light flying towards them. It stopped above the shoreline and began to descend slowly and dramatically. The warriors watched as the form decended, its cape billowing out behind him, and touched down on the sand softly, the glow fading and the cape falling back behind him. 

"Who is this guy?" one of the troops shouted.   
"Has it been that long?" Navcase answered.   
"Lord Navcase?" another inquired. 

Navcase nodded. 

"Have you come to your senses, and are ready to serve Master Ceiphied again?" Gekidoku asked.   
"I would love to help you guys out, but there's one little problem, you see." Navcase replied. 

The soldiers watched intently as he pulled his sheath out of the sash, held the sheath in his left and dangled his right over the hilt, the Battou-Jutsu stance. The kanji for sword began to glow on his right hand. 

"I now wield my sword in the name of Amaterasu and the Heavens." Navcase said.   
"GET HIM!!!!" Gekidoku shouted. 

The soldiers charged, but Navcase drew his sword with lightning speed, leading with his left leg, creating a vacuum that drew them in before he knocked them all down as he came around again. He quickly sheathed his sword and started running towards the heroes, as the Draconai followed him in hot pursuit. Navcase looked back as they followed him, sure enough, one began to catch up to him. Navcase stopped suddenly, brought out his sword and went skyward. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Ryu Tsui Sen!" Navcase shouted, slamming down on him, knocking him out. He then took off again, sheathing his sword. He stopped suddenly, and when they were in range, he held his sword out in front of him, but watched as the kanji began to glow again. His blade began to glow purple as well. Navcase was surprised at this. But he had to finish his attack. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. Dou Ryu Sen!" he shouted, slashing just above the ground, causing dirt to kick up and knock the Draconai backward. 

More like flying backward, as they toppled on top of Gekidoku, completely knocked out. Navcase was not expecting that. That usually DID NOT happen. He watched as the kanji that had glowed on his hand slowly vanished again. This Seishi power would take some getting used to. He sheathed his sword and hurried forward. 

Meanwhile, Sage and the others, still carrying Ryo, ran away from the advancing army, while Anubis and the others, ran from the other side. The two, both not watching where they were going, slammed into each other and fell to the ground. They climbed to their feet slowly, a little stunned. 

"You should be over there!" Rowen shouted, pointing.   
"They outnumbered us. Why aren't you stopping Ceiphied's advance?" Anubis asked.   
"Ryo went bonkers and tried to fend them off." Kento replied.   
"Ughh..." Ryo said as he began to become conscious again...just as Ceiphied reached them. 

Ryo prepared to summon his wings again, but Ceiphied cautioned. 

"I wouldn't try that. You saw what happened last time, Tsubasa no Hi." 

Anubis got up and put his hand on Ryo's shoulder. 

"We've got to do this together. The only chance we stand is if we do it together." Anubis said. 

Ryo nodded and the two began to focus their power. 

"ARMOR OF WHITE REFLECTION!!!!!!!" Ryo shouted. 

As Ryo's armor attached itself to him, so Anubis' was called as well and began to attach itself to him. Soon the two were ready for combat and charged Ceiphied's advancing forces, although in vain. 

Navcase tore through the woods separating that section from the main area, leaping over logs, slashing through others, hurrying towards the heroes. He had to get there in time...he sighed in relief as he saw them up ahead. 

The Ronins shielded their eyes as Ryo lashed out with Luminance from the Heavens, only barely scratching the enemy force. Ceiphied summoned his own power and knocked the two back, causing their armor to be unsummoned. The other Ronins ran up to protect them. 

"Give up. It's over. Why don't you all flee to Shanghai?" Ceiphied said. 

A purple glow shone from the forest behind them. 

"I know of a safer place than Shanghai for you Ceiphied." Navcase said as he stepped into view, the purple glow erupting around him, his cape billowing out behind. "It's called Hell."   
"Ah Navcase. Still bitter about that whore you were going to sleep with?" Ceiphied called. 

Navcase tightened his grip around his sword. "Her name was Yuriko." 

"Whatever. Seven Ronins and two Seishi couldn't stop me. What makes you think another, namely you, can make a difference?" Ceiphied asked.   
"Because I have something they don't." Navcase replied.   
"Kill him!" Ceiphied ordered. 

The Draconai unleashed their breath weapons and energy blasts on the hero, who in Surprise put up an AT field to protect himself. 

"The...The...Third Seishi!!!" Ceiphied exclaimed.   
"YOU'RE MINE CEIPHIED!!!! ARMOR OF HOPE!!!!!" Navcase shouted. 

An armor resembling Double X attached itself as the other two had done on Ryo and Anubis. This one had a pair of cannons folded on its back, and winglike panels peering over its shoulders. 

"And what do you expect to do with that?" Ceiphied asked, preparing for another assault.   
"THIS!!!!" Navcase shouted, as the panels opened on his lower legs and forearms, the wings folded down and then again to fill out the solar panels, the cannons folded over the shoulders, extended and locked into place, while the sights locked over the barrels of the guns. "KAI...JIN!!!" 

The clouds parted in a circle as a beam of light shot down, striking the armor, as the panels began to glow with energy. The Ronins began to move out of the way, while the Draconai began to slowly tiptoe backward as the armor began to charge this energy, then breaking into a run and then to flight as they struggled to get away. 

"FIRE!!!!" Navcase shouted, the energy lashing outward towards the hordes as they escaped, the majority of the blast focused on Ceiphied himself, who screamed in pain as the Armor was superheated. The beam faded out, as Ceiphied and his army limped off back to their base in disgust. Navcase got Ceiphied in his sights for another shot, but Ryo placed his hand on his shoulder. 

"Let him go. You'll get another shot." Ryo said. 

Navcase powered down the armor, as the Ronins checked out his new wardrobe. Ryo noticed that he was also wearing a pendant like his, though his was blue in color. 

"So, you're one too?" Anubis asked.   
"Yes. I am Amaterasu's Third Seishi." Navcase replied.   
"Congratulations." the other Ronins said.   
"Thank you. But I must get back to the palace. We will meet again." Navcase said, flying off as he had before, leaving the Ronins to once again celebrate their victory. 

Navcase reappeared in the courtyard, where he found Ran waiting. 

"Welcome home Navcase." Ran said.   
"Thank you Ran. Good to see you again." he said, messing up her hair a little. She blushed at that and walked along with the older man towards the main entrance. He stopped about halfway, and looked at the sight that was waiting for him.. 

Waiting at the main entrance was Sakura. She was wearing some sort of kendo outfit and had her swords drawn. She stared Navcase down, refusing to let him pass. The other girls were up in their rooms, looking down on this spectacle. 

"Sakura, what are you thinking? This is stupid! Fighting Navcase won't prove anything!" Yuri shouted.   
"Come on Sakura, put your weapons away and come inside..." Ayame asked gently.   
"No! I have to do this!" Sakura shouted. "It's the only way I can prove myself worthy!"   
"Prove yourself worthy? You don't have to do that!" Yuri yelled down.   
"This would make an excellent manga..." Suiren said. 

The other girls looked at her sternly, and she backed away. 

"Ran, will you wait here for a moment?" Navcase asked. She nodded and he stepped forward, the distance between the two slowly shrinking.   
"Now, Sakura, what is so wrong that you are out here ready to fight me?"   
"Everything. Everything's wrong. You're a disgrace, dressed like that. You call yourself a warrior?" Sakura shouted back.   
"A warrior is defined by more than how he or she looks." Navcase replied.   
"But you're still a bishounen for Suiren to drool over! Ran adores you! And don't get me started on Ayame..." Sakura snapped. "We're better off without you."   
"Sakura! This is stupid! What are you trying to do, get him to leave?" Ayame asked.   
"That's exactly what I'm doing. I want a fight, fair and square. I win, you leave. You win, You can stay. Fair enough?"   
"Sakura...there is no point to fighting over something so trivial..." he began to say. But he saw her eyes become even more intensely trained on him. She was not going to back down from her threat. Navcase sighed and replied, "Very well." 

Navcase moved back to where Ran was standing. He undid his cape and placed it over her shoulders, causing her to blush a little more. She then stepped off to the side, out of harm's way. Sakura took her position. 

"I am Sakura Kamino, She-Ronin of Fire, the second Successor of Kodatchi Nintouryuu." 

The name leapt out at him. This was not just a chance for Sakura to get rid of what she felt was a problem. It was a chance for her to settle a bout between the 14th successor of his style and the Oniwanbanshuu's leader. 

"I am Shinta Tennomi, The Sword of Heaven. I use Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu as it's 5th Successor."   
"And only use Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. One stab from Mizoguchi Haiitou Ryuu and you forfeit the match." Sakura declared boldly.   
"Agreed." 

The two stood there, sizing each other up. Navcase stood in Batou-Jutsu, ready to strike when Sakura made the first move. Such a fight would prove nothing. He had to show her the error in her judgment. This had to be ended quickly..painlessly. Even without his Seishi power, each blow would hurt her more than usual... 

Across from him, Sakura also stood ready to fight. She was going to win. She knew it. Then Ayame would go back to Rowen. The others would forget about him. They would all love her, and love her for showing them the error of their ways. She would succeed. 

The wind blew by as the two stood, ready to strike. The others watched with fear, as to who would strike first. Navcase stood ready to draw, like a cowboy from the Old West. But it was Sakura who made the first move, charging at him with her swords crossed in front of her. She swung with Gokuu Juuji as Navcase drew with the lightning speed associated with the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu style, blocking her swing. Sakura hopped back and prepared to close the blades around his neck with the reverse, but Navcase had leapt into the air. 

_(Kurenai by X Japan Kicks up)_

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Ryu Tsui Sen!" he said. 

Sakura grimaced and fell to her knees as the impact of gravity and Navcase's body came down on top of her as she struggled to parry the move. Navcase hopped back, and quickly leapt up, spinning towards her in a somersault. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, Ryu Kan Sen, Arashi!" 

She quickly held up her swords to block the assault, but they were knocked away from the impact. She grabbed them and triple-flipped away, standing ready...but this had given Navcase time to prepare another attack... 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Kuzu Ryu Sen!!!!" 

...and he was now flying towards her at breakneck speed. She barely dodged out of the way as he stopped on a dime and prepared for another attack. 

He was good, even without Gatousu. But she still had to win. She hoped that she could fool him long enough to go get her blades for the final technique. 

"Kodatchi Nintouryuu! Onmyou Hasshi!" she said, tossing her blades back to back at him. Navcase knocked them both out of the air with a quick Ryu Shou Sen, their trajectory flying back towards her hands. He flew towards her through the air, calling out... 

"Ryu Kan Sen! Tsumuji!" 

Sakura leapt into a flip as she flew over his blade, grabbing her swords in mid flip and then landing and turning around. She sheathed one and began to fade her way towards him. 

He knew of this move. This was Kaiten Kenbu. It was quite deadly to the unaware, but he focused everything he had to try and find her. But it was too late. Three slashes across his arm. He grimaced in pain. 

At last! She had managed to hit him. This worked well. So maybe it would work again, then she could nail him with the final move. 

Navcase watched as she now completely surrounded him. This was the famed Waterflow technique, where it was impossible to tell where she was. But he had a way to stop her. He had gone to Battou-Jutsu just before she began it. 

Sakura surrounded him, her afterimages confusing him. A little more of this, and she would win...but then, he did something she did not expect. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu ougi!" he shouted, drawing the sword with incredible speed that it sucked her towards him. 

How could this be? She HAD him! But she knew what this meant. 

It was going to end here. This was the most powerful technique. This would make her give up, Navcase thought. Put an end to this foolishness. 

Navcase came around and knocked her skyward, sending her slamming hard into the ground. 

"Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki!" he exclaimed. 

Sakura lay on the ground, hurting badly. The attack had done a number on her. But she could not give up. She had to win. Fighting against her body's wishes, she leaned on her swords as she struggled to her feet. 

Navcase was horrified. He had hoped that would have stopped her. Enough was enough. She would use her finisher now. But he would trick her. There was a move that would be able to stop her. 

Sakura took her swords in hand, and flipped the sword in her right hand so that the blade was facing away from her thumb and pointed downward. She then came towards him for the final blow. This would finish it. 

"Kaiten...Kenbu..." she began. 

Then she struck. 

"Rokuren!" 

::CLANG!!!!!!: 

Her sword had met his sheath. What was this? He led with his sheath? Was he insane? 

Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu Battou-Jutsu, Shou Ryu Sen, Ikazuchi. An attack that leads from the Battoujutsu with the sword still in the Saya. He knew this could work. He looked in her eyes. Gone was the look of death. Remaining was one of surprise and shock as he drew his sword from the still blocking sheath and brought the blade down on her shoulder, cutting it. Sakura fell to the ground hard, looking up at this warrior. Despite her rules, he had still won. Why? WHY? 

She looked up as he placed his sword back in its sheath and back in his sash. He walked over to retrieve his cape from Ran. Her anger drove her to her feet and she charged him blindly. 

"Navcase!" Ran cried out. 

He quickly drew his sword as he sidestepped, flipping it over and hitting her in the back of the neck. 

"Why...can't I win..." she mumbled before coughing up blood and passing out onto his shoulder.   
"You wonder why you loose Sakura." Navcase said as Ran helped him with his cape and he carried her unconscious body to the palace. "Your technique is excellent. But there is more to a warrior than how he or she looks, or what style they use to fight. A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu is learning how to fight or kill. But there is one more component. Your heart. It is the heart that decides how the sword is wielded. Your weapon must become a part of you. I was like you once. But Master Hiko taught me that my training would not be complete until I found the heart behind my sword. I wield my sword to protect all that I have come to know...and love, in some cases. I hope that you, can rise above your hatred and prejudice...only then will your link between sword and heart be complete." 

Navcase stepped into the palace doors, where he placed the unconconcious Sakura into Yuri's arms, who carried her up to her room. 

"I'm sorry it had to come to this..." Navcase replied sadly.   
"It's all right. This had to happen sometime." Yuri said. "I hope she'll listen when she wakes up."   
"I hope so too." Navcase said as Yuri carried Sakura upstairs. 

Ayame slowly came down after Yuri had gone by. 

"Navcase...thank you for knocking some sense into my sister." Ayame said, nervously.   
"I'm sorry I had to do that." Navcase said.   
"No. Someone had to teach her. I'm glad it was you." Ayame said, getting closer. "I wanted to thank you..."   
"There's no need to thank m--mph..." Navcase said as as Ayame suddenly kissed him. 

It felt wonderful. This was the one for her. Not Rowen. Forget about him. He lacked the nobility, the honorability that Navcase possessed. Navcase was older too...mentally, Rowen was too young for her. Navcase was the answer to her prayers. 

The others peeked over the stairs, spying on Ayame as she liplocked with Navcase. Everything began to make partial sense. This explained, at least partially, why Sakura was so angry with Ayame. 

Ayame's lips detached from Navcase's and she stepped away. Navcase was surprised. Ayame looked back at him with a mixture between satisfaction and apology before she slowly walked off, leaving Navcase to contemplate.   


  


**_This is the End of Part 2._**   


  


**Next Episode**

KAYURA: Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath, Chapter 17. The Search Begins. Please watch for it.   
  
  
  
  
  
  



	17. The Search Begins

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" Ceiphied roared. 

His warriors cowered in terror. This was a usual occurrence. Ever since Ryo's wings had appeared, and Anubis had become Death, their master had gotten angrier and angrier. Now Navcase was awakened and he was even more ticked. 

"Kouen. Please refresh my memory as to how many of Amaterasu's Seishi have appeared." Ceiphied said in the calmest voice he could muster. 

Kouen shook violently and almost stammered as he answered with great fear for his existence, "Three, Master." 

Ceiphied roared and Kouen winced and braced himself as a energy bolt flew by him and dented the wall. Ceiphied regained his composure. 

"And how many of Drakka's Seishi have appeared?" he asked. 

Again Kouen was terrified to give the answer. 

"None, Master."   
"NONE!!!!! NONE!!!!! It is three now. Soon it will be four, then five, then six, and then seven, and the next thing we know, they'll be summoning that accursed goddess to Earth to wipe us all out!" Ceiphied shouted.   
"We understand this Lord Ceiphied. What would you like us to do..." Kouen.   
"GO OUT THERE AND FIND THESE SEISHI BEFORE THEY DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND IF THEY PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO DRAKKA BRING THEM HERE!!!!!" Ceiphied shouted. 

Soldiers summoned their wings and flew out of the palace in droves, searching for the rest of the Seishi of Amaterasu or Drakka.   


  


Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 17: The Search Begins   


  


Ryo opened his eyes and found himself once again in the Palace of the Heavens. He was sure he was in his bed at the time. 

He proceeded through the halls of the fortress, using his immolating wings to light his way. His ki seemed to guide him to Amaterasu's chamber, where he opened the door and entered, where she was waiting for him. 

"Greetings Ryo." Amaterasu answered.   
"I get the feeling you've called me here for some reason." Ryo deduced, causing his wings to disappear.   
"Indeed. Ran said you read part of the book." 

Ryo nodded. 

"As you know, there are Seven Seishi of Amaterasu, the first three of which are Anubis, Navcase, and yourself. You are Tsubasa no Hi. Anubis is Tsubasa no Kurayami, the Wings of Darkness. Navcase is Ten no Mi, the Sword of Heaven. We are not sure where the other Seishi are, but we should find them soon, if we are to defeat Ceiphied. But the book also speaks of Seven Seishi of Drakka, my mortal adversary." 

Amaterasu brought out the old book and opened it to a page, and began reading. 

"_From a distant land warriors bound to Drakka's hand will come, the first a minister of chaos capable of guiding those to hell, one born from the side of good a lady of gravity will come to serve evil, youth will spawn a warrior full of explosive energy, the speed of sound will arise from Osaka, hell shall forge a blade worthy of the heavens, from the future a warrior of the past will be reborn, and another's rival shall become Heaven's foe."_   
"I see." Ryo said.   
"Ryo, it is imperative that you and Anubis stay on Earth to keep Ceiphied from gaining a foothold here."   
"Is it also so that he doesn't kill Sakura and the others?" Ryo asked.   
"That too. Navcase will stay here unless he is needed on Earth. He will in the meantime aid the girls in finding the other four quickly. Kinjiro has already dispatched his Mecha Knights in search of high levels of ki. In the meantime, you and the others must keep Ceiphied busy so that I can gather my Seishi." Amaterasu said.   
"I understand." Ryo said, turning to leave.   
"One more thing. Anubis' power is to teleport to places of least resistance, such as the Shrine on the Isle of Mists. He can only do this once per day, and it is hard for him to transport people to greater distances unless he has seen them before." 

With that, Ryo headed back to the Isle, where he found a very curious and furious group of allies, demanding to know where he was. 

"Amaterasu summoned me to her place. She said that we're the first of three, and there are four more. There's also another seven which we'll have to fight at some point. She gave us some clues, but I'm not sure. Ceiphied's enough of a problem, why do we need Drakka messing things up." Ryo said. 

Just then, Kayura stepped in. 

"I recall being told as a child about the tale of the Drakka Shischisei. Perhaps I can be of help."   
"Maybe my grandfather did some research on this." Mia said, holding up a laptop.   
"Okay, Mia, you and Kayura see if you can dig anything up on these evil Seishi." Ryo said.   
"You might want to be careful. Ryo and the others have only recently come to understand their new powers. The Drakka Shischisei may have developed their powers to an amazingly high level, far more than we can imagine at this point. Perhaps Ryo and I should train and develop our powers while we wait for the other Seishi to appear." 

Mia let out a cry of glee as she found something. 

"What have you found Mia?" Anubis asked.   
"Okay. According to my Grandfather's information, there are some general characteristics of Seishi. First, their powers are focused towards a particular area, like Ryo's wings." she explained.   
"If only I knew what mine was..." Anubis said.   
"Actually, Amaterasu told me. Something about being able to teleport us to places of low resistance, like this Isle. It's limited though. You can only do it once per day and it's hard to go great distances without knowing about an area first."   
"I see..." Anubis said. "This seems to explain why I keep ending up here in the Shrine..."   
"Another thing is, they can will their Chi into the form of clothing, which explains Anubis and Navcase, and Ryo. As Navcase demonstrated, they can fly, and can focus it into AT Fields temporarily. There's something else, about some sort of priestess. I'm still decoding it. I'll see what I can do."   
"Thank you Mia. Now, Ryo, shall we?" Anubis said. 

As the two warriors headed off to spar, Kento watched them. He saw as Ryo called on his wings for the umpteenth time and Anubis pulled a scythe from out of nowhere and the two went at it with incredible force. All these powers they had now. Ryo, and then Anubis awakening. The rest of them now having to rely on their suped-up friends for salvation. He hated this. But he had to support them. After all, they would not win without their aid. But it seemed to him that the spotlight had fallen off the Ronins and on to these "Seishi." He could not take it any more and turned away, and walked off. 

Meanwhile, back in the Heavens... 

"So Mom, what's up? Where's Sakura?" Ayame asked as the others and Navcase showed up.   
"Probably still sulking in her room after what Navcase did." Suiren said.   
"Hi Navcase. Sleep well?" Ayame asked.   
"Yes...I did..." Navcase said uneasily.   
"So, what's up Mom?" Ran asked.   
"Kinjiro has begun searching for high sources of energy in the world, and we can begin investigating once we find one."   
"Amaterasu!" Kinjiro reported through one of her mirrors. "We found high energies in a place called Tomoeda. Shall we begin our search?"   
"No Kinjiro. The Seishi could not be there. Any other possibilities?" Amaterasu asked.   
"We seem to be picking up lots of power seething in Tokyo. We can't pinpoint any of it." Kinjiro explained.   
"It says that the fourth Seishi controls both magic and the weather. See if you can find any weather disturbances that are not natural." she asked.   
"Okay..." Kinjiro said, not hopeful.   
"Hey!" Navcase exclaimed, being dragged off by Ayame and Ran. "What's going on?"   
"Let's check the library! Maybe there's some powerful sorcerers there!" Ran exclaimed happily. 

In moments books were piled all over the desk. The three flipped through them, for what seemed like hours, until Ayame exclaimed. 

"I found something!" Ayame shouted.   
"What?" Navcase said, looking up from a book.   
"The Ri family. They're powerful Chinese sorcerers. One of them used to be a Seishi, so maybe there's another!" Ayame exclaimed.   
"Maybe...there is a chance..." Navcase thought.   
"I have this feeling I'm right. Let's go tell Mom." 

The three rushed back and brought this new information to Amaterasu and Kinjiro's attention. Kinjiro entered the name in. 

"Hmm...There seems to be a group of Ri's living in Toyama now, pretty far from where Ceiphied is. Maybe we should check it out if Ayame has a hunch." Kinjiro reported.   
"Can I Mom, PLEASE?" Ayame begged.   
"Yeah, please?" Ran added. 

Amaterasu thought for a moment. Her daughters were precious to her. If they were captured, they would most certainly be killed. They could take care of themselves, but they were still young. They would need some accompaniment. 

"I guess so..." Amaterasu replied.   
"YES!" Ayame exclaimed.   
"As long as Navcase goes with you." she replied.   
"Thank you thank you!" Ayame said, hugging her mother to death. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get going!" she said, skipping off. 

Ran led Navcase after her sister. He was worried. Ayame had kissed him. He did not want to hurt her, but he knew that SHE would kill him if she found out. He sighed and headed off after the overeager Ayame. 

Somewhere in Toyama, a young girl removed her bra and threw on her pajamas, before brushing her hair into a ponytail. She yawned and climbed into bed, and turned off the lights, just as a strange triangular hat materialized into the room...   


  


**To be Continued...**   


  


**Next Episode**

AYAME: Hey everyone, Me, my sister Ran and my main Man Navcase go on a mission to find the 4th Seishi. 

NAVCASE: Um, Ayame... 

AYAME: We meet this stuck-up girl, who seems to be related to the Ri's, and has been having strange dreams. 

RAN: Could she be the next Seishi? It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Incredible Annoyance. Don't miss it!   



	18. Incredible Annoyance

Alone in her room, sixteen year old Youtotsuko Ri seemingly awoke in her bedroom. It was still dark within. She looked around. Why had she woken up? She glanced around her room. Her posters of idol singers were still on the wall, undisturbed. Her school uniform was neatly laid out for tomorrow. Her desk was exactly as she had left it last night when she finished her homework. Nothing had been changed. 

Then, she saw a bright red light start to materialize. She squinted at its intensity, and barely made out the form of a Chinese hat materializing in the room. She was not entirely sure, but she swore that something came out of that hat. The light faded and standing before her was a young man of about 24. He stood about 5'9", and seemed to be wearing a white tunic with a blue cloak with swirls on it. He wore red beads around his neck and carried a shakujo. 

"Hello no da!" the man said. 

He spoke in a happy high pitched voice. She instantly found this guy very...weird.   
  
  
  
  


Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 18: Incredible Annoyance   


  


"Um, Hi." she replied.   
"Do you know who I am no da?"   
"Um, no?" she said, sounding like a Valley Girl.   
"I am your ancestor, Ri Houjun. I have to see you to give you some important information no da."   
"Um, could you like, come back some other time, I really need to y'know, get my beauty sleep, 'kay?" Youtotsuko replied.   
"You are like me no da!" the strange man exclaimed.   
"Um, no? Number one, I'm not a monk, I don't have blue hair that defies gravity, and have like a silly look on my face?" she said, referring to the comical look the man had. "I don't dress like a dork and talk with a retarded high pitched voice and say things after every sentence, 'kay? So I'm not "like you no da." she replied.   
"You are a Seishi like me no da. Your powers will surface soon and you will help six others banish evil from the world no da." he continued.   
"Whatever..." she replied. "Could I like, take a rain check on that? I've got to like, go to school tomorrow, okay? So let me sleep." she replied.   
"Very well no da. But you will soon learn that I am right no da." he said, disappearing back into his hat, leaving her alone. 

Who was this guy? She did not recall any ancestors...as if she cared about her mom's stupid obsession. Still, she was confused. What had he meant by that she was a Seishi? Her powers would come out soon? This guy was seriously doing something. 

The next sound she heard was her alarm clock, jolting her awake. It had been a dream. 

She climbed out of bed and stretched out. She grabbed her bathrobe and headed for the shower. She unbuttoned her pajamas and stepped in, letting the water awaken her body and mind and clear it of the strange blue-haired man. Satisfied that she was cleansed, she headed down the hall and back to her room, where she dressed herself and headed over to her dresser, and began putting on all sorts of bracelets and makeup before brushing her hair. 

She was taken out of her beautification trance by her mother's voice. 

"Youtotsuko, hurry up! Your breakfast is getting cold." her mother called.   
"Coming mother..." she said sarcastically. 

She headed downstairs to the kitchen, where her parents were eating breakfast. Her father was reading the paper and the top story of the day seemed to be something about something called Deswar Productions being sued by Flower Comics for copyright infringement. She sat down and began nibbling on her toast. 

"How did you sleep dear?" her mother asked.   
"Horribly...This blue-haired man like invaded my dream and told me all sorts of weird stuff...Mom?" 

She heard a stampede as her mother came rushing back into the room with a large dusty old book. 

"Oh my God!!!!!" she exclaimed.   
"Ooohakaaay." Youtotsuko replied as her mother quickly flipped through the book, stopping at one page. She gasped at the picture. It was the same guy who bugged her last night!   
"No way! That's the guy from my dream!" she exclaimed.   
"That is Ri Houjun. Long ago, he helped the Seishi of Suzaku in ancient China. In times of great need, the Deities of the world grant people with gifts of power so that they can serve him or her. A girl will also come from a distant land, who will also serve this deity. Did he say anything to you?"   
"Not really...As if he made any sense..." she replied. 

Suddenly, her cell phone rang. She reached into her bag and pulled it out. 

"Hello? Sorry, I'll be right out. Mom's taking me on a trip down Memory Lane...yeah, tell me about it. See ya soon, 'kay? Bye." "I hate to interrupt this moment Mom, but my friends are here and I'll like, be late for school if I don't go with them."   
"I really wish you wouldn't hang out with those girls. They're bad news." her mother replied. 

Stopping at the door, she turned around to face her mom. 

"For your information, the people I choose to hang with is like, my decision, and none of your business, 'kay? Goodbye Mother." she said sternly, heading out the door.   
"Oh yes...your cousin Ayako is coming to visit. Can you pick her up at the train station this afternoon?" her mother replied.   
"Whatever..." Youtotsuko said flippantly as she slammed the door behind her.   
"What did I do wrong..." her mother asked herself. "I should have never gave her permission to go on that trip to America."   
"We had no idea this was going to happen. Hopefully seeing her cousin will make her realize how she's changed." her father said.   
"I hope you're right." 

"Sorry I'm late! My mom was being such a tool..." she said, running up to her two friends.   
"See that it doesn't happen again." The older one said.   
"It's like, a privilege for you to hang out with Ritsuko and me. You know we can easily find someone to replace you." the other one said.   
"I understand." Youtotsuko said.   
"Cool. Now, have you seen the new basketball coach? He is like such a babe..." her friend replied.   
"Oh yeah, fer sure. But isn't he married?" she asked.   
"Who cares. Anyone that gorgeous is up for grabs. Besides, isn't he married to a student?" Ritsuko said.   
"Oh yeah...now what about that cute guy with the headband, do you think he's cute Yoko?" the other girl, Megumi said.   
"He's got a crush on that kareoke nerd." Ritsuko replied.   
"C'mon Ritsuko, why do you always have to spoil my dreams?" Megumi protested. 

Ritsuko reached into her bag, put a cigarette in her mouth and lit it. Taking a drag from it and exhaling the smoke, she replied, "because only one of your dreams actually came true."   
"Right..." Megumi said. 

Meanwhile, a portal opened and Navcase, Ayame, and Ran landed. 

"Are you sure this is the place?" Ran asked.   
"Positive. This is where Kinjiro picked up a strong signal. If there's a Seishi here, they're around here somewhere." 

Navcase stood there, looking gorgeous as usual with his hair blowing in the wind and his cape billowing out behind him. He tensed as he felt a presence. Ayame noticed his reaction. 

"What is it Navcase?" she asked.   
"I felt something." he replied.   
"I did too. What about you Ran?" Ayame asked. 

Ran nodded as well. 

"It could be the Seishi. Let's go." Navcase said. 

Meanwhile, the three girls were walking along, Megumi and Yoko chitchatting about the latest gossip when several forms landed in front of them. They were ugly, and evil looking. Draconai. The red accents identified that they were part of Kouen's clan. 

"Which one of you is the Seishi?!" they demanded. 

The girls began to tremble and step backward, tripping and falling to the ground. 

"Answer us!" they demanded. 

The girls collectively screamed, which were picked up by Navcase, who took off in their direction. 

"Navcase! Come back here! Wait up!" Ayame said. "I should have brought my rollerblades..." 

"Yoko, run. Go get help." Ritsuko said.   
"No, I'm staying here." Yoko said, getting to her feet. "Who are you and what do you want with me and my friends?" she demanded. 

What was wrong with her? She was standing up to these things? 

"We are in search of one of the Seishi. Which one of you is the Seishi?" the Draconai again demanded.   
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, okay? So leave us alone." Yoko replied. 

The Draconai roared in anger, causing Yoko to fall and scream again. Ritsuko got up and whacked one with her schoolbag. 

"Run!" she shouted, before the Draconai recovered and knocked her down. 

"Ritsuko!" Megumi and Yoko screamed.   
"I ask again. Where is the Seishi?"   
"Right here." Navcase said. 

The Draconai looked up to see Navcase descending dramatically from above. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Ryu Tsui Sen, Zan!" 

Navcase held his sword for piercing, slamming into the soldier, gravity and his own weight assisting him in toppling the creature. Another swiped at him, but Navcase blocked with his sword before kicking him over. The girls sat there, hearts in their eyes, swooning over this cool bishounen that was saving them. 

"HE'S SO COOL!!!!!!" the three shouted in unison.   
"Get out of here!" Navcase ordered.   
"Yes sir!" the girls said quickly, before running for safety, but continuing to watch this spectacle. 

Navcase went to First Stance and charged at another, running him through with his sword, before quickly extracting his sword and countering an aerial attack with Third Stance. Another punched, but he whirled around and nailed him in the back of the neck using Ryu Kan Sen. Navcase held his sword out to the side, which began to glow as his aura flared up, the kanji for sword glowing on his right hand. He then brought the blade out in front of him, and stood ready for his final attack. The others stood up and also prepared to stop him one last time. His aura still flaring, he charged towards them, calling out his attack: 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Kuzu Ryu Sen!" 

He collided with them, blazing through hitting them all with lightning speed, before stopping abruptly and sheathing his sword. The Draconai roared in pain as they glowed red, before disintegrating into energists. Navcase then threw them all into the air and with incredible skill, slashed them all to pieces before running his blade across the edge of his sheath and sheathing it. The girls clapped triumphantly. 

"Oh shit! We've got to get to school!" Yoko exclaimed.   
"Thank you!" the three shouted before running off at high speed, as Navcase sweatdropped. Ran came up beside him as Ayame huffed and puffed her way up. 

"Next...time...warn...us...before...you...run...off...like that." Ayame said, out of breath.   
"Did you find anything out?" Ran asked.   
"Some Draconai showed up and I fought them off. They were probably here for the same reason we were. They were after three girls. During the conflict I felt something from one of them. I'm not sure which one though." he replied.   
"We should probably follow them." Ayame said. 

With that the three headed off in the girls' direction, soon coming up on a large high school. The clock tower loomed in front of them. Students were sitting around outside, or walking into the school together. Yoko and her friends filed their way in, lost in the crowd. 

"Damn, we lost them." Ayame said.   
"Let's go in after them." Navcase said.   
"No, there's no way I'm going in there." Ayame said, pointing to the school.   
"I'll go in if you'll come with me Navcase." Ran asked, tugging on his cloak.   
"Okay. Ayame, see if you can gather any information while Ran and I look inside." Navcase said. 

Ayame headed off in another direction while the other two slipped into the school. The bell rang and the front door closed up while Ayame hid behind a tree, and brought out her laptop. She fired it up and began to type furiously. In a matter of minutes she was in the school's registry. 

"Perfect! Now let's see if there are any students that could have potential." 

She scrolled down the list faster and faster. Names flew by. None of them sounded familiar. Then something caught her eye. She scrolled back slowly and carefully to one student. 

"Hmm...Youtotsuko Ri, Birthdate 05/21/85...1st Year High School....let's see Parents..." 

Ayame glanced at her parent's names. They seemed to leap off the page. Her mother was of the Ri family, which the Palace records said was a long line of Chinese Monks. Her father on the other hand, came from the same clan as HER Father! That meant Yoko's father was an Ancient too! She had to find Navcase and Ran. 

Meanwhile... 

Yoko was stuck in English class. Her teacher was going on about how he wanted them to make lists of various words. She hated English class in the worst way. She hated it as much as Aya Fujimiya hated Reiji Takatori. Her teacher was no help; he was extremely devoted to his lessons to the point that he alienated his students like many teachers did. Far worse, Megumi and Ritsuko had a totally different schedule. Her teacher continued to drone on and on...the next thing she knew, she was staring into the face of a familiar form. 

"Hello again no da!" the strange man shouted.   
"What are you doing here..." Yoko said, frustrated with this strange ancestor.   
"I came to tell you that you're like me no da."   
"Like, we've been through this already? One, I don't have stupid blue hair, I don't have a dumb grin on my face, I don't dress in tacky clothes, and I don't talk like a moron, okay? So I am not 'like you', 'kay?"   
"Regardless, you are like me no da. Things will make sense soon no da."   
"LEAVE ME ALONE YOU INSANE BLUE-HAIRED FREAK!!!!" she screamed, reaching out with her hands and wrapping them around his neck.   
"Yoko, do you realize who you're strangling?" one of the students asked.   
"A little blue-haired man?" she asked. 

She looked up and saw it was the teacher. 

"The teacher?"   
"Bingo."   
"Ms. Ri!" he shouted.   
"Yes?"   
"Go to the principal's office immediately!" 

Yoko grabbed her things and marched off to the principal's office with a note. 

"You attempted to strangle your English teacher..." was the principal's reply.   
"I thought he was someone else! Honest!" Yoko said.   
"Who?"   
"This little blue haired guy who keeps annoying the hell outta me!" she replied.   
"All right...go to your next class...I'm not even sure what to do." 

Yoko headed off again, this time to home ec, where Megumi and Ritsuko were waiting. This was the only class that she had with them the whole day. She was grateful. 

"So, how was your day?" she asked Megumi.   
"Horrible. In science class today we had this guest speaker, some Scottish guy. He went on about how he used to work for this big international conglomerate and then started to go on about his favorite anime and video games. What a dork. He was kinda cute though. You?"   
"Okay, this weird blue-haired guy bugged me again, so I almost strangled the teacher. He sent me to the principal's office."   
"That sucks." Megumi replied.   
"Now class. Today we are going to be baking chocolate cakes. I want all of you to make them beautiful culinary masterpieces as colorful as the fall foliage."   
"She is sooooooooooooooo boring." Yoko replied.   
"Fer sure." Megumi added.   
"Weren't we supposed to study that last night?" Ritsuko added.   
"I think so." Megumi said.   
"Damn." Ritsuko swore.   
"We are sooooooooooo dead." they said in unison. 

Suddenly, the door opened and Ran poked her head in. 

"Sorry, I think I'm lost."   
"Ah! I believe we have a new student class. What is your name young lady?"   
"Ran Kamino, but I don't go here, I'm trying to find someone."   
"You can go work with those girls over there." the teacher said, pointing towards Yoko and her friends, who were fighting over who would do the actual work. 

"You touch it." Megumi asked Ritsuko.   
"Uh uh. I just had my nails done. Yoko?"   
"No way, you touch it." Megumi said.   
"I'm not getting my hands dirty." Yoko replied.   
"Hello!" Ran said in her normal cheery voice.   
"Hi." the three said.   
"Need some help?" Ran asked.   
"Like, duh." Yoko said.   
"It's not that hard." Ran said, beginning to get to work. 

Meanwhile... 

"Ran? Where are you...I've got information on who the Seishi might be...Where is she?" Ayame asked. 

Ayame had entered the school and was scouring the location in search of her sister and the third Seishi. Unfortunately the two seemed to have vanished. 

"Ran? Navcase?" Ayame called again.   
"Ayame? Is that you?" she heard a voice call.   
"Navcase?" she asked. "Where are you?"   
"Over here." he called. 

Following the sound of his voice, she traced it to a locker, which she opened and found him squished inside. 

"What're you doing in there?" Ayame asked.   
"I got mobbed by bishounen-crazed fangirls...I had to hide somewhere." Navcase said.   
"Come on, we've got to find Ran." 

Meanwhile... 

"Excellent! This cake is wonderful. You girls get an A." 

The three were shocked. Ran simply blushed. 

Class ended and the four headed out. Ran knew she had to find her sister and Navcase, but she soon felt a hand on her shoulder. It was that of Yoko. 

"Hey...Ran Right? You like, totally saved our butts today." Yoko said.   
"Fer sure." Megumi added.   
"Want to hang out with us? You can come with us to get my cousin." Yoko said.   
"Um...okay...uh..." Ran said.   
"My name's Youtotsuko, but you can call me Yoko." she said. "And this is Ritsuko and Megumi."   
"Pleased to meet you..." Ran replied. 

With that, the girls went off, just as Ayame and Navcase came outside. 

"Where'd she go?" Ayame wondered. Then she spotted Ran's purple locks as she walked off with Yoko and the others. 

She prepared to pursue but Navcase stopped her. 

"Those are the girls I felt the power from. Ran's gained their trust somehow and hopefully she'll be able to figure out which one it is. We should follow them though." Navcase said. 

While Ritsuko listened to her Discman and Megumi napped in the seats next to Yoko, Ran began to question Yoko. 

"I'm sorry to pry, but has anything weird happened to you lately?" Ran asked.   
"Well...this total babe came and saved us from some ugly things this morning." Yoko explained.   
"Anything else?"   
"Well, this weird blue-haired dude keeps coming to me when I'm asleep and saying I'm a Seishi like him or something..." Yoko explained. 

Ran's heart stopped. She had to be it! Still, she had to be sure. Sitting several seats back, Navcase watched Ran go to work. 

"Good...we've found the fourth Ayame. Ayame?"   
"zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..." Ayame gently snored, using Navcase's shoulder as a pillow. 

The train came to a stop, jolting Megumi awake. 

"This is where her Train's coming in from. Come on Ran." Yoko said.   
"Okay..." Ran said.   
"Ayame! Ayame! They're getting off." Navcase said, jolting Ayame awake.   
"Huh? Wha..."   
"They're getting off. Come on." Navcase said.   
"Yeah sure..." Ayame said. 

Navcase dragged the still-sleepy Ayame with him as he pursued Ran and the girls over to another platform. They snuck up on them and watched from a distance as another train pulled into the station. The doors opened and hundreds got off around the sound of the brakes hissing and the engine humming. A young girl carrying several bags climbed down. She had long brown hair that went about halfway down her back and had several strands that stuck up like antennae. Her backpack, as the girls observed, was littered with thousands of dangling anime keychains. Her luggage was plastered with anime stickers. She was wearing a Princess Mononoke T-shirt, and chances are every other good anime series was represented on shirts in her luggage. Her Toya-ish sunglasses were perched on her forehead as she looked around, spotting Yoko and the others, and started waving. 

"THIS is your cousin? What a dork..." Ritsuko scoffed.   
"When were you gonna tell us?" Megumi asked.   
"I didn't know she'd be this bad..." Yoko pleaded. 

Yoko hesitantly waved back, before Ayako ran towards her, practically tackling her. 

"Um...like get off me?" Yoko replied.   
"Oh, sorry, it's just I haven't seen you in the longest time. How have you been?" Ayako asked happily.   
"Haven't gotten much sleep lately..."   
"Oh, sorry." Ayako said. "Nightmares?"   
"If you want to called blue-haired nutcases who smile too much and say "I'm like them no da", okay..." 

Ritsuko and Megumi put their hands on her forehead and asked if she was feeling all right. Ayako's eyes lit up. 

"Chichiri!" she exclaimed.   
"Excuse me?" Yoko asked.   
"Chichiri. From Fushigi Yuugi. Released April 5, 1995. Based on the manga by Yuu Watase." Ayako recited from memory.   
"Yoko, she's worse than you thought..." Megumi whispered.   
"She likes...anime?" Ritsuko said angrily.   
"I thought she'd grown out of it..." Yoko said under her breath.   
"Chichiri is the 4th Seishi of Suzaku. His special power is Chi Magic." Ayako said, whipping out one of her manga and reading.   
"There's nothing wrong with being into anime...it's not just for children." Ran replied.   
"Yes it is." Ritsuko said.   
"Come on, let's get outta here..." Yoko said, grabbing her friends and heading off.   
"Youtotsuko, come back!!!!" she called, trying to catch up. Ran followed behind. 

Yoko and her friends walked ahead of Ran and her cousin, hoping to loose them. But Ayako was still trailing. 

"You didn't say she was going to be that much of a dork..." Ritsuko said.   
"I'm sorry, okay?" Yoko replied.   
"It's not her fault..." Megumi said.   
"We can't have someone like THAT hanging out with us. It makes us look bad." Ritsuko said.   
"Right..." Megumi and Yoko replied.   
"Here's what we'll do." she said, whispering her plan in their ears.   
"But that's mean..." Megumi replied.   
"She's my cousin..." Yoko added.   
"Do you want to hang out together or not?" Ritsuko asked, lighting another cigarette. 

The two sighed and nodded. 

"Good." 

Meanwhile... 

"So, you're Yoko's cousin? I'm Ran."   
"Ayako. Thanks for sticking up for me back there...my friends are about the same..." she replied.   
"No problem. You and my sisters would really get along." Ran said. "We're all otaku."   
"Hey, Ayako, Ran! We've got a surprise for you!" Yoko said. "Ritsuko says she knows of a place around here, so we can get you two completely made over!"   
"Really?" Ran asked.   
"Yeah, it's right down that way at the end of the street." she said.   
"I'll pass..." Ayako said.   
"Come on, please? It can't be as bad as my sister's technique." Ran said.   
"No, you have fun. I'll walk with you though." Ayako said. 

The three walked ahead giggling while Ran walked with Ayako. 

"Well, I'm into anime, but I love the artwork. It's so beautiful. I want to direct someday." she explained.   
"Wow...you sure have lots of artbooks. Suiren would kill for these, then again, she probably already has them..."   
"That one of your sisters?" Ayako asked.   
"Yeah. If you don't mind me asking, why is Yoko the way she is?" Ran asked.   
"Ohh...Well, a year ago she went on some exchange program to America, and apparently the girls there turned my sweet innocent cousin into the first Japanese Valley Girl. Then she started hanging with the two worst girls at her school, which my guess are those two. My Aunt Kouran called my mom in tears and thought that maybe if I came to visit, she'd snap out of it. So much for that..." 

Yoko and the others hid around the corner as Ayako and Ran headed towards the salon. They came to the door and found a sign hanging there. "Closed for Remodeling" 

"She tricked us..." Ran said, starting to cry, angering Ayako. 

The two heard the giggles of the other three, most of it Ritsuko, of how they had succeeded. 

"Why the nerve of that little...Youtotsuko! GET BACK HERE!!!!" Ayako shouted. "I'm going make you change back!" 

But their laughter turned into screams, which sent Ayako and Ran running off towards them. 

Kouen had landed before the three as they backed away slowly. 

"I've come for your friend..." Kouen said.   
"Leave her alone you creep!" Ritsuko shouted. 

Kouen swatted her to the ground, then knocked Megumi away as well. 

"My master is only interested in her. You, take the girl to Master Ceiphied. The rest of you, kill them." Kouen said, sending fear down the other two girl's spines. Yoko was frightened most of all. 

"I wouldn't do that Kouen." Navcase said, appearing on the scene. Ayame was with him, clad in her full battle armor. 

The girls' fear quickly turned to bliss as the bishounen of their dreams reappeared. 

"Get them!" 

Ayame grabbed Yoko and ran off while the girls cheered as Navcase proceeded to tear into the Draconai with his sword. 

As Yoko fled in terror, her thoughts were on her friends. Maybe they were just using her, but they did not deserve to die. She heard a voice again. 

"Yoko no da..." it said. "Go and help them no da...It is your duty...as a Seishi no da." 

Yoko nodded, and ran back towards the battle. She arrived just in time to see Navcase go down. 

"Leave my friends alone..." Yoko demanded.   
"And what will you do, little girl?" Kouen asked. 

He fired his breath weapon at Yoko, who somehow put up an AT Field to stop it, just as a salvo of missiles nailed him courtesy of Ayame, just as Ayako and Ran showed up on the scene as well. 

"Ayako, get them out of here." Yoko said.   
"What about Ran?" Ayako asked.   
"I'll be fine. You get them out of here." Ran said.   
"Okay." Ayako said. 

She and the other two ran off. Ran called upon her own armor and headed towards Navcase, knocking the Draconai away from him, allowing him to stand up. But Kouen launched a fireball at her, knocking her down. Ayame ran over to her side, as did Yoko, who was shocked at what Ran had been able to do. 

"Now you all die..." Kouen shouted, taking a deep breath and letting his flame tear loose on them. 

When the flames faded, there was a barrier around all four of them. In the center was Yoko, her hair billowing out dramatically, a purple aura around her...and the kanji for sorcery glowing on her knee. 

"Yoko! His clan is weakened by water!" Ran shouted. 

Yoko nodded, as her hair and eyes turned completely white, and a torrential downpour nailed the dragons, causing them to groan in pain. In the confusion, Ran lashed out with her wires, tearing off Kouen's helmet, while Navcase slashed it off, leaving the soldiers stunned. The armor fell to the ground lifeless, and Navcase smashed the energist. 

"Hmm...Mom and Dad might find this interesting..." Ayame thought, examining the armor while Ran and Navcase smashed the other energists. Yoko stopped glowing and returned to normal. 

"Okay, like my first question is...what the hell happened, and who are you people?" Yoko asked.   
"I'm Ran's sister Ayame. We're both the daughters of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Navcase here is one of her Seishi, sworn to protect her and her family. You just happen to be one too. Understand?" Ayame explained.   
"Um...like, Yoko's not here right now...please leave a message at the beep, 'kay?" Yoko responded before fainting. 

On the train ride back to Toyama, the exhausted kogyaru trio slumbered, using Yoko as a pillow while Ayame snoozed in the seat behind them. Navcase sat next to Ayame, keeping an eye on them. 

He knew this would be hard to accept. Yoko having these powers...her new friend turning out to be the child of a goddess. But then again, he had found it strange when he first discovered he was one...he smiled at the sound of giggles from behind him as Ran made a new friend in Ayako. 

"So, you said you're a big anime art fan?" Ran asked.   
"Yeah. I really like the series, but I love the artwork...I want to be a director like Miyazaki when I grow up."   
"I love the art too...it's pretty hard though when your big sister's always telling you how cool the fights are, and your middle sister's always drooling over the guys..." Ran replied.   
"She does?" Ayako asked.   
"Ohhh yeah. She's got her whole wall plastered with them."   
"Me too." Ayako said, blushing. "I mean, the artwork is so gorgeous that it would be a crime not to put these beautiful babes, I mean pinups, I mean Posters..." she said, struggling to hide her obsession.   
"It's okay...I kinda like them too." Ran added. 

The two giggled at that. 

"Could you be one too?" Ran asked.   
"A Seishi? Well...I don't think so...my mom gave me this ring and said it's been in the family for years, but I don't know what it does."   
"Oh." Ran said, yawning a little.   
"Tired?" Ayako asked.   
"Yeah, a little."   
"Me too. Wake me up when we get to my Aunt's, okay?" Ayako asked. Ran was already asleep. Navcase nodded and Ayako closed her eyes. 

Later, at Yoko's... 

"Of course she can go with you...imagine that, my daughter being a Seishi of Amaterasu...I'm so proud of you..." Yoko's mom said.   
"Whatever mom..." Yoko replied.   
"Um, Mrs. Ri, can Ayako come with us?" Ran asked.   
"That's up to Yoko..." she replied.   
"Yeah. I need someone to keep me company." Yoko said, leaving Ayako surprised.   
"Thank you!" Ayako shouted, hugging her cousin to death.   
"Um, let go..." Yoko asked.   
"Good luck Yoko." Megumi said.   
"You'd better keep in touch." Ritsuko demanded.   
"Don't worry, I will. See ya." Yoko said. 

With that, the group disappeared into the Heavens. Amaterasu congratulated her daughters and Navcase on finding the fourth Seishi. Ran asked if Ayako could stay in her room, and she said yes. Suiren and Yoko hit it off immediately and decided to spend the night together as well. 

Later... 

"Oh my God! I take it back, these bishounen are gorgeous!" Yoko said.   
"You think so?" Suiren asked.   
"Totally!" Yoko added. "You've got to teach me all about these total babes."   
"With pleasure." Suiren smiled. 

"Umm...Ran?" Ayako asked Ran from the floor of her bedroom.   
"Yeah?" Ran asked.   
"Does this always happen?" Ayako asked.   
"Yeah. Suiren's pretty loud. There is a secret." Ran said.   
"Which would be?" Ayako asked. 

Ran handed her a pair of earbuds. 

"These. You like the brilliant green?" Ran asked.   
"Who?" Ayako asked.   
"You've got a lot to learn." Ran said, turning on the stereo before closing her eyes. 

Soon the two were asleep.   


  


**To Be Continued...**   


  
  
  
  
  


**Next Episode**

AYAME: Talk about people being deprived of sleep. Next time, Navcase is awakened from a horrible nightmare from his past that sends us on a clandestine mission into Ceiphied's fortress. But will I be prepared for what I find there? It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; For My Beloved. Look forward to it, and don't sue us Ms. Watase!   
  



	19. For My Beloved

"Follow Me, Navcase." Ceiphied said. 

A evil, still Draconai Navcase followed his evil master through the halls of the base. Soldiers snapped to attention as their evil lord and his emissary passed by, ending at a door, which was unlike all the other doors. Reaching from around his neck, Ceiphied brought out a key and placed it in the lock, and turned it, opening up a chamber. The sound of snoring filled the air as Ceiphied walked in and Navcase tiptoed ever so slightly, as to not disturb the slumber of whatever was in this chamber. 

"Don't worry. They won't wake up. Unless I will it." Ceiphied explained. 

Navcase looked at his master curiously, as he gasped at the sight of thousands of sleeping Draconai. But there was one thing that was odd. They were all female! He had never seen one in all his years, even before the curse. 

"But, I thought there were no females..." Navcase asked.   
"There are. These are my daughters. They are special to me." Ceiphied explained.   
"How?" Navcase asked.   
"No matter what humanoid they couple with, their child is always a Draconai. However, being dragons, the gestation period takes many years. However, after Drakka placed the curse upon us, we learned that my daughters, and other females were affected differently. Instead of being restricted from assuming full Nether Dragon form, the females can only remain Draconai for a limited period of time. However, they retain their draconian power of metamorphosis, making their job easier."   
"But if they are so useful, then why..."   
"Are they all asleep? Because a wise monarch always knows that there are those within his rule that would love nothing more than to overthrow me. By mating with my daughters then they have the opportunity to create a child who could carry that out in time. So, I keep them locked in here, under a mantle of sleep until I need them. But I would like to show you my greatest trophy." Ceiphied said. 

Leading him over to one corner, he found a beautiful bed. What was left of Navcase's humanity wept at the site. Lying in that bed, her long, gorgeous black hair resting on the pillow, her angelic face, all the more heavenly staring back at him in slumber, completely, and totally, a Draconai. He stepped back slowly. 

"Yes. Don't fight it. That is your beloved Yuriko, whom I took from you so many years ago. So, even if you regain your humanity, I still have a trump card... 

The scene changed to the two of them on a hill, long before Ceiphied ruined their lives. 

"Shinta-chan?" she said.   
"Yes Yuriko?" he heard his younger self say.   
"When we get older, let's get married." she said.   
"Married?" he heard himself say, with a confused look on his face.   
"It's what grownups are supposed to do when they love each other." she said.   
"It is?" his younger self said.   
"Uh-huh." she said.   
"Yuriko?" his younger self asked.   
"Yes?" she said, slightly starry eyed.   
"What's love?" his younger self asked. 

She instantly got a evil look across her face and smacked him, before pinning him down trying to kiss him. 

She got an evil grin across her face. 

"I like Shinta-chan better." she said, tackling him to the floor again, trying to kiss him.   
"Yuriko! Please! Get off me!" he said, struggling to get free 

Navcase fought his way through soldier after soldier, who had cleverly led him in the opposite direction. And then he heard a sound, which pained him even now. 

Yuriko's scream. 

He watched as his younger self ran as fast as his legs could carry him toward her room, cutting down every Draconai in his path, thrusting the doors open, only to find her room empty, except for a note. 

Ceiphied, Lord of the Draconai, had taken her captive, it had said. He was to go to the Nether World to face him. Navcase had gone. 

"Ceiphied!!!!!!!!" he heard his younger self scream. "Come out!" 

Navcase watched as the Lord of the Draconai came forward. He was about as ugly then as he was now. 

"Ah, Navcase. I trust you got my message."   
"GIVE HER BACK!!!!!!" his younger self demanded. 

Ceiphied motioned. Yuriko stepped out. He and his younger self gasped at the horror that Ceiphied had concocted. He had turned her into a Draconai. 

"If you defeat me, I break the curse and you can live with her peacefully. But if I win...you BOTH belong to me." 

He had remembered how angry he was during that fight, and the battle raged, with Ceiphied as the victor. Even without his armor, he was still powerful. 

"O' powers of supreme evil in the Nether World...O' ancient lord of the Nether Dragons, heed my command..." Ceiphied said. 

The sky above the base turned completely black, and thunder and lightning crashed as Ceiphied continued. 

"Bestow upon these unfortunate weaklings, the curse of the Draconai!!!!" Ceiphied roared. 

"YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Navcase screamed into the blackness. 

He found himself, awake in his bed at the palace, dressed in his Seishi clothing. It had been a dream.   


  


Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 19: For My Beloved   


  


Navcase tiptoed down the hall, past the loud rumble of Yuri's snoring, the low musical sounds of E.M.U. that lulled Suiren and Yoko to sleep, to the stairs, which he slowly descended carefully to the kitchen. He could not sleep; the nightmare was too powerful. Perhaps some tea would help. As he started to boil water, he felt a presence. He gripped his sword tightly, and headed towards the hallway. Who could possibly be up at this time of night? Other than him, anyway. He went into the stance for Battou-Jutsu, just in case. He would use the Ikazuchi method, one that led with the sheath, to ensure he did not harm anyone he was not meant to harm. He stood ready, as the footsteps came closer and closer...he sprang at the last possible moment, bringing his sheathed sword to bear on... 

...a very frightened Ayame. Navcase breathed a sigh of relief and placed his sword back into his sash.   
"Jeez...You scared me half to death! What are you doing here?" Ayame asked.   
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Navcase asked.   
"Couldn't sleep. Being next door to the pneumatic drill doesn't help either." Ayame explained.   
"You mean Yuri." Navcase reasoned.   
"Yeah...we tried to tell her she snores and keeps most of us up but she refuses to believe. Which is why I try to get most of my sleep during the day, when she's training."   
"Which may explain why I see you resting in the pool so often." Navcase said.   
"Yeah. I can snooze for hours without even having to worry about Sakura or the others." Ayame explained. "So, what brings you here?"   
"Couldn't sleep either. I had a horrible nightmare." Navcase explained. 

Ayame sat down at the table, while Navcase retold in vivid detail the story, of how his fiancee Yuriko was kidnapped by Ceiphied, cursed, and was being used as a trump card against him. 

As she listened, she became more and more intrigued. Navcase so down in the dumps, plagued by a horrible nightmare...it made her sad to see that her beloved was this way. There had to be a way to cheer him up. Yuriko was his fiancee, how long ago? And Ceiphied's magic must have done something to her to make her forget...she would not hold onto this love for THAT long. Then she had it. She and Navcase would go break into Ceiphied's and free her. Navcase would be reunited with Yuriko, and he would be so grateful that he would willingly go with her! Navcase would be all hers, at last. Forget Rowen. She could finally be with Navcase. 

"Come on!" she called, dragging the Sword of Heaven to the door.   
"Where are we going?" Navcase asked, curious.   
"To get Yuriko back!" Ayame said.   
"But do you have any idea how hard it is to get into Ceiphied's fortress?" Navcase asked.   
"You can explain on the way!" she said as they headed out the door. 

From behind the hall, unknown to Ayame, a form emerged, clad in trenchcoat and carrying her swords. 

"So...it looks like Ayame's gone out without permission...and she's taken Navcase with her...oh, this'll be fun." Sakura said, heading back upstairs to wait for the right time to spring this on her mother. 

Meanwhile... 

"There it is." Navcase said, pointing down to the military base which Ceiphied now held as his own. "We'll have to be careful." he explained. 

The two carefully touched down within the walls of the base. Looking around, there were guards everywhere, fast asleep, lying on the ground snoring. Navcase placed his finger to his nose, reminding Ayame, as the two tiptoed past the slumbering soldiers towards the front door, keeping their ki as low as possible as to not startle them, coming upon the main entrance. Navcase pulled on the door with Ayame's help, very carefully pulling the large steel door open before stepping in and closing the door behind them. 

"Okay, now what?" Ayame asked.   
"We need the key. Ceiphied never lets it out of his sight. He never lets anyone near that room. You're as good as dead if you do." he explained. 

The two tiptoed through more rows of sleeping guards, going down hall after hall as quietly as possible, making sure not to wake anyone up. Ayame thought to herself as Navcase led her down hallway after hallway. He was so handsome when he was determined. Him and her, together...this was like a date or something. She would make him so happy when they freed Yuriko. So happy he would forget about Yuriko and go with her. They could not have possibly been pining for each other this long... 

Ayame's thoughts were cut off as Navcase stopped suddenly. 

"This is it. Ceiphied's chamber." Navcase whispered. 

He entered a code which carefully opened the door. As she looked in, she found the form of their evil leader, asleep on his makeshift throne, with a glint of metal around his neck...the key! 

Carefully tiptoeing her way towards the evil slumbering monarch, she assured herself that she would succeed. She had to. If she wanted Navcase, she had to. Yuriko's engagement had expired the moment she went Draconai. Sure, she would make sure to have Mom cure her like she did Navcase, but she would be all over Navcase by the time Yuriko was human again. And he would love her. Forever. 

She stopped, as she reached the throne. She looked around for something to lift the key off his neck without disturbing him. She found a pole lying on the ground and began inching it towards the chain holding it around the tyrant's neck. She got a hold on it and gently began to lift it upwards, however, Ceiphied began to stir, as if waking up. She quickly but carefully withdrew and breathed a sigh of relief as the evil lord settled back to sleep. She slowly and cautiously approached again, slowly but surely lifting the chain upwards, before having to give up again from another stir from the evil lord. This was more difficult than she thought. She reached out again with her pole, poking Ceiphied in the face with it, causing him to stir, and her to attempt to hide...but he remained asleep, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. She carefully placed the pole down, and started to climb up the back of the throne, hoping to lift the chain from around his neck carefully. She slowly reached out with her hands, grasping it, and then carefully lifting it, before Ceiphied shifted to the other side, forcing her to let go. As his head rested on armrest of his throne, she reached out with her hands, and slowly but carefully slipped the chain off, every so slightly. The distance shortened very carefully, and soon, she had the key in her hands. Now there was the tricky part. She tiptoed away from the throne, ever so slightly, careful not to disturb Ceiphied's attendants either. The distance between her and the door became smaller and smaller, and she made one last dash into Navcase's arms. She had succeeded! He felt so warm...she wished they could stay like this forever. 

"Let's go." Navcase said, heading down the hallway, and down another, and another, through the maze of the base, until they reached the door. Navcase took the key and placed it in the lock, opening it carefully. Ayame waited at the door, fearful that the spell would affect her too, as Navcase carefully headed over to where his beloved lay sleeping. He removed the covers ever so gently, and lifted her up like a knight would carry a princess, turning around to find...Ceiphied, in Ryuujin, standing at the door, holding Ayame. 

"Foolish Seishi. You see, there's a silent alarm on this room, I discovered. I used it to my advantage. Now, drop the girl or this one dies." Ceiphied ordered. 

Navcase slowly placed his beloved's dormant body down on the bed once more. He then turned to Ceiphied, his anger flaring. He began to glow, as his AT field erupted before him, which he focused into an energy bolt and let Ceiphied have it, knocking him down. Then, grabbing Yuriko, he raced down the hall with Ayame behind him. Ceiphied roared behind him as he also pursued the flying Navcase towards the front gate. 

Ayame was thrilled. This was not a setback. Navcase cared as much for her as she did for him. He would not abandon her. 

She was cut off as she was grabbed once again... 

Navcase hurried, as fast as he could fly. He knocked the door open again and proceeded to head out...before he heard Ayame's scream. 

"I'll make a deal with you Navcase..." Ceiphied said.   
"Like the one you made me all those years ago, that I could not win if I tried?" Navcase said, turning towards the struggling and nervous Ayame.   
"I'm giving you an ultimatum. If you leave now, I'll kill her." Ceiphied said, pulling his grip tighter around Ayame, causing her to call out in pain. "However, if you stay and fight, and beat me in a duel, I'll let you leave with both of them." 

Navcase thought long and hard. As much as he loved Yuriko, and wanted to be with her...he had dragged Ayame into this...more like she had dragged him. And he had a duty as a Seishi to protect her from harm. He would never forgive himself if he let something happen to her, let alone Amaterasu. 

He place Yuriko gently on the ground, and laid his cape on top of her. 

"First let her go." Navcase demanded. 

Ceiphied threw Ayame to the ground with a thud, and she began to crawl away from the evil lord. 

"Now, fight me." Ceiphied said. 

Navcase called upon his Armor of Hope, and reached to his side, igniting one of his two beam sabers. Ceiphied ignited an energy blade from his arm, and charged at Navcase with everything he had, the two energy weapons clashing in midair. 

Using the armor was difficult. It was harder to pull off any of his special techniques, but it was also harder for Ceiphied to dodge them...Using his thrusters to take him skyward, Navcase crashed down on Ceiphied with Ryu Tsui Sen, managing to slash part of his helmet and take him to the ground. Ceiphied got up and dodged out of the way of one of Navcase's slashes, knocking him back with an energy bolt. Navcase charged at Ceiphied with Gatousu, but Ceiphied whirled out of the way and hit him in the back of the neck. 

"Hmm, seems this armor's learned some things from you." Ceiphied said.   
"Not enough." Navcase explained, charging at Ceiphied with incredible speed. "Kuzu Ryu Sen!" 

Ceiphied was nailed multiple times and fell under the impact of the attack. Navcase readied his blade for another go, as he parried another blow from Ceiphied. Ayame had managed to get over to Yuriko as this fight went on, who's eyes had begun to flutter open, out of the range of the spell. 

"Where...am I?" she asked.   
"You're okay. I'm a friend." Ayame explained. 

Yuriko, still weak, looked over at Ceiphied and Navcase fighting. "Navcase?..." she wondered.   
"Yes, it's him. He came to rescue you. He told me you were very special to him." Ayame said.   
"Yes, I am. And he is to me." Yuriko said. 

Meanwhile, Navcase had managed to trap the evil lord in a corner. 

"I may have my honor, but for the hell you have given me, you deserve none of it." Navcase declared. He prepared to use Gatousu Zero Stance, and lunged forward... 

...right into Ceiphied's blade, impaling him. 

Navcase gasped as the evil lord cruelly removed the blade from the hero, as he dropped to the ground, his armor disappearing as he began to bleed. Yuriko got to her feet and ran towards him through a swarm of Draconai, who were getting closer and closer to her. Ayame had to do something. She had to call her armor. She breathed a sigh of relief when a fireball crashed before Yuriko, taking down the Draconai. 

"Is this a private party or can anyone join?" Ryo called, hovering in the air with his wings outstretched. Anubis was right behind him, as the other Ronins entered, laying down cover fire as they touched down, backing in around Navcase. 

"DESTROY THEM ALL!!!!!!" Ceiphied roared. 

Draconai after Draconai began to glow and became extremely large in moments, assuming their true, horrific forms. Yuriko held the dying Navcase tight as the others moved in. 

"He's...dying." she explained to the others.   
"Let's get out of here. Hang on." Anubis said, focusing his power. Screaming at the top of his lungs, the kanji glowed on his neck once again and they instantly vanished from sight. 

Ceiphied roared louder than he had ever done. 

The group reappeared on the Isle instantaneously, in the Shrine of Amaterasu. Kayura came running. 

"Is there any thing you can do Kayura?" Anubis asked.   
"No...I'm afraid I can't...even with this staff, I'm still powerless to save him..." she said sadly.   
"Navcase, no! You can't die, you just can't...you just got her back...You have to hang on..." Ayame said, tears dripping down her face. Navcase brushed them away.   
"Aya-me...thank you for letting me see Yuriko one last time...goodbye...aishiteru..." Navcase said, and then he was gone.   
"No...No...NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yuriko screamed, standing over her beloved. She could not loose him now. After all this time. 

She screamed with all her might, as the Kanji for Resurrection began to glow on the top of her head. 

"YOU ARE NOT LEAVING US...SHINTA-CHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!" she declared, placing her hands on the hero and focusing everything she had into him...the group watched as his soul drifted back into his body, and his wound healed, as if it had never been there. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked up. 

"Yuri...ko?" he said, weakly.   
"SHINTA-CHAN!!!!" she screamed, wrapping her arms around him tightly, a little too tightly, for the warrior was gasping for air.   
"Yuri...ko...let...go...need...air..." Navcase wheezed. 

Suddenly, Amaterasu appeared in an astral projection. 

"Come to the shrine at once, my Seishi. You too Yuriko." she said. 

The group vanished, and found themselves before Amaterasu. 

"As you can probably guess, Yuriko is the Fifth of my Seishi, Kerai no Shinigami...Servant of the God of Death. Her power is to revive the dead and travel into the Spirit Realm to pull their souls back, should we need to. She will stay here in the palace, so that she can be with you once again, Navcase." Amaterasu explained.   
"Thank you." Navcase said, as she hugged him again.   
"And as for you, young lady..." Amaterasu said, causing Ayame to stop in her tracks as she tried to sneak away, "Sakura told me she saw you sneak out last night, without my permission. You know how dangerous it is there! I specifically said, no leaving the palace without my permission unless you're accompanied by one of us or if I told you it's okay. You're grounded. No TV, no music, and no sunbathing in the pool for a week" 

Ayame's heart sunk as she trudged up to her room and closed the door. 

"I apologize for that...now, let me show you to your room." Amaterasu said.   
"If it's not too much trouble your highness...I would like to sleep in Navcase's room." Yuriko said.   
"All right. If you insist." Amaterasu said.   
"We're going to have so much fun together Shinta-chan! Let's go!" Yuriko shouted, grabbing the poor guy and dragging him off to their bedroom.   
"But shouldn't you have Amaterasu heal you first?" Navcase said. 

She stopped in her tracks, realizing that she was still Draconai. 

"You're right. Then we'll go have some fun like old times Shinta-chan! Lead on!" she said.   
"I wish you'd stop calling me that..." Navcase said. 

Later... 

Ayame sat, staring out her window into nothingness. There was nothing to do, after all, she was grounded, thanks to Sakura. But she did not care she was locked up. After all, she would still win out. Navcase needed her. And she needed him. He could not have feelings for her after all this time. She looked down from her window where she spotted the two talking. She hid herself and watched the fun. 

"Yuriko...I'm so happy we're together again." Navcase said.   
"Remember when we made that promise to get married on the hill? We were so young then." Yuriko said.   
"Yes. And how once I walked in on you when you were getting dressed and you clocked me into the wall?" Navcase asked.   
"And then chased you down with a Naginata until you apologized? Of course...Shinta-chan." Yuriko said with a small smile. "M-hmm. You know, when you first came to stay with us...I was jealous of all the attention you were getting...I asked my mom, 'What's that boy doing here? Why does he have to stay with us?' I wanted you to leave...of course, I was too young to understand the circumstances...it took me a little while, but my jealously went away...because even though it took me a little while to realize it...I loved you from the moment I set eyes on you...I love you...Shinta Tennomi...the Sword of Heaven. What an honor...we're Seishi...and most important, we're together again...my beloved Shinta-chan." she said, looking deep into his eyes...   
"Okay...I admit, I wasn't wild about you at first...especially how you used to pin me to the ground and try and kiss me." 

Yuriko blushed. 

"But...then I found out you loved me from the moment you set eyes on me...and then one day, I realized...you were the one I loved so dearly...with all my heart...I was heartbroken when I lost you...when your family disowned me...but now we're together again...and that's all that matters. Yuriko Toumahama...Ai..."   
"...Shi..." she added as she looked lovingly into his eyes.   
"...teru..." he finished, closing his eyes and kissing her for the first time in ages...it felt so good to taste her lips again...to feel the warmth of her heart energy...and then a tear fell on his head. 

A tear? Navcase turned his head up slowly, fearfully, and looked into the eyes of Ayame, surprised, and horrified. She had seen the whole thing. He had not realized her window was there. Her eyes were full of tears. He could almost feel her heart breaking. Yuriko looked up as well, and placed her arm around Navcase to try and comfort him, also feeling the pain she must feel. 

"Ayame...I'm..." Navcase started to say before she slammed her window with a loud crash and closed her curtains.   
"I'm so stupid...so stupid to believe that I could have him...SO STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!" Ayame cried as the hot tears trickled down her face. "I thought I could have him...but I was wrong...so wrong...he loves her...he's always loved her...he doesn't need me!!!!!!!!!" she sobbed. 

She dove onto her bed, and began to sob, the tears flowing...and with them...the remnants of her broken heart.   


  


**To Be Continued...**   


  
  
  


**Next Episode**

YURIKO: Hello everyone! It's me, Yuriko! It seems that not everyone's happy about my Shinta-chan and I reconciling...   
NAVCASE: Yuriko, you know I hate that name...   
YURIKO: It looks like my first job as a Seishi is getting Ayame to calm down and show her we're sorry...It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; To Mend a Broken Heart. Watch for it!   



	20. To Mend a Broken Heart

"I'm so stupid...so stupid to believe that I could have him...SO STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!" Ayame cried as the hot tears trickled down her face. "I thought I could have him...but I was wrong...so wrong...he loves her...he's always loved her...he doesn't need me!!!!!!!!!" she sobbed. 

She dove onto her bed, and began to sob, the tears flowing...and with them...the remnants of her broken heart. 

Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 20: To Mend a Broken Heart   


Navcase rushed towards the palace as fast as he could, after observing the upset he had managed to cause Ayame. As a Seishi, his duty was to protect her and the others. How could he do that if she hated him? He wished he had found a better place to share his love with Yuriko. But it would not matter. She would have found out one way or another. 

How could this have happened? When he asked for her help early on in the conflict, he had appeared to her. Perhaps she took that as attention, which she seemed to get little of? He had to know. He had to try and help. He hurried up the stairs and knocked on her door. 

"Ayame? We need to talk." Navcase stated.   
"Go away." She replied between sobs.   
"Please. I'm sorry." Navcase said, trying desperately to apologize. 

Ayame swung the door open, tears flowing down her face. 

"Why didn't you tell me about her...?" Ayame said, with a touch of anger in her voice.   
"Yuriko?" Navcase asked.   
"Of course. Who else would I mean?" Ayame responded coldly.   
"Why didn't you tell me how much you loved her!?" Ayame shouted. "Why didn't you tell me you were engaged to be married?! That would have been very USEFUL information, before I devoted my heart to you!" Ayame cried, choking on her tears.   
"I'm...sorry if I hurt you...I didn't mean to..." Navcase replied. 

Turning away from the warrior, looking towards her closed curtains, she asked another question. 

"What about the astral projections. Why me?" Ayame asked, still angry. "Is it because my sisters blocked you, or is it because you genuinely needed my help alone?" 

Navcase's heart pounded. He had to tell her the truth...but he knew she would not like his answer. 

"Ran's resistance to my probes was weak...but her innocence is what protects her from the world...You're right...Yuri and Sakura did resist me...and Suiren's mind was too scary...I found out why later." he said.   
"So you chose me..." she said, her anger starting to flare up again. "Because you KNEW I wasn't a warrior, so I wouldn't give you any trouble to enter, is that right? Not because you cared about me or anything like that, am I right?" Ayame shot back.   
"Ayame...I do care about you..." Navcase started to say.   
"YEAH RIGHT!!!!" She said, storming towards him. When she reached him she pushed him to the side.   
"Out of my way!" she shouted before storming off elsewhere. 

Amaterasu, as luck would have it, was walking around the palace when Ayame crashed into her. 

"Ayame?...I thought I told you to stay in your room..." Amaterasu began before she noticed her daughter was sobbing. "Ayame, what's wrong sweetheart?"   
"Navcase doesn't care about me..." Ayame started.   
"No, no, he does care about you...he cares about all of us..." Amaterasu said, trying to calm her down.   
"No he doesn't! He only cares about me because he has to care about me because he's a Seishi!" Ayame protested, just as Navcase caught up to the two. "Get rid of him...I hate him..." Ayame said.   
"Ayame...you're wrong. Your mother is right. I do care about you. Because of Ceiphied, I lost my humanity...and my one true love...and now I have both back. My life now has purpose because I realized my duty as a Seishi of Amaterasu. You helped me to reunite me with Yuriko...I thank you for that. I care for all of you, very deeply. All of you make my life...interesting. Your friendship with me is true because you gave me your necklace...Isn't it?" Navcase said. 

At this Ayame, who had turned towards him to sort of listen, now turned back to her mother and began sobbing again. 

"I see what is wrong now..." Amaterasu started to say. "Navcase, when I gave those necklaces to my daughters at a very young age, I instructed them to only give them to the person they intended to spend the rest of their lives with. Because of the seal on the Heavens, they allow those who have not died to enter the Heavens without the permission of myself, Kaosu, or my daughters. It is why you were able to teleport here without having to die first." 

As Navcase nodded in understanding, Yuriko came running up. 

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you! Let me know before you run off like that!" Yuriko scolded. Then, seeing Ayame crying on her mother, she replied. "I'm sorry...I really am. I hope you won't be mad at me or Navcase...I'm Yuriko. You must be Ayame. Pleased to meet you." she said.   
"I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!!!" Ayame shot back at her, before crying again.   
"I know you're upset...you have every right to be. But you're a smart girl...and I know that part of you realizes that Navcase loves me with all his heart, and he decided long before you were born that I was the one for him..." Yuriko said.   
"I DON'T CARE!!!!! I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO EITHER OF YOU!!!!!" Ayame shouted back, startling Yuriko, then breaking away from Amaterasu and running down the hall again, slamming the door to her room.   
"I'm sorry, your Eminence. I did not think she would react this way." Navcase replied.   
"No, don't blame yourself. It's my fault for not realizing this sooner." Amaterasu said.   
"No, I should have realized when she kissed me she had feelings for me." Navcase replied.   
"No, I'm her mother...I should have spent more time with them, then things like this wouldn't have happened." Amaterasu replied.   
"Um, if you two are done placing the blame on yourselves, can I try to talk to her again? Girl to girl?" Yuriko asked.   
"If you want. I'm sure there's no harm in doing so." Amaterasu said. 

Navcase escorted his beloved to the door of Ayame. He was nervous. She had refused to listen to him. She had lost faith in her mother. Could Yuriko really manage to get through to her? It was worth a try, at least. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Navcase asked. "She was quite angry last time you talked to her. Maybe if we wait until she calms down..." Navcase said.   
"Shinta-chan, I know you only want what's best for me, and don't want me to get hurt, but let me try. I think I can get through to her. Oh, can you give me that necklace?" Yuriko asked. 

Navcase undid the necklace and placed it in Yuriko's hands. 

"Wish me luck." she said. 

With that, she knocked on Ayame's door. 

"What." she said from within, still angry.   
"Can I come in?" Yuriko asked, as nicely and unthreatening as possible.   
"Go away. You've caused me enough pain today already. Both of you." she replied.   
"Please? I know we can work this out if we just talk about it." Yuriko asked.   
"Leave me alone!" she cried out, beginning to sob again.   
"Ayame...I know you want to. Can we talk, please? You'll just feel worse the more you push us away. I know deep inside that you want to resolve this. Open up...please?" Yuriko asked. 

Ayame opened the door a crack, just enough so that she could see Yuriko. 

"Fine. If you want to talk, fine then. Some good it'll do. YOU, can wait outside." she said, pointing at Navcase.   
"Good luck." Navcase said, as Yuriko entered the lion's den before Ayame slammed the door in his face. 

Yuriko turned on the lights and looked around her surroundings. Ayame had taken great steps to make it her home. There were posters on the walls, a few of Ayumi Hamasaki and Morning Musume, but most were anime related, mostly general depictions of the cast rather than pure bishounen artwork like Suiren. Rising above her desktop was her personal computer, where Ayame did most of her work. The device was strange to Yuriko, as she had never seen one before. Being asleep for thousands of years does that to you. Lying on her bed was a pair of earbuds and her mp3 player. Although most of her surroundings were strange to Yuriko, she could feel an aura of warmth about the place. Ayame on the other hand, was another story. Ayame sat down on her bed, her hands folded in front of her face. Yuriko pulled the chair from Ayame's desk out and slowly sat down. 

"You wanted to talk to me, so talk." Ayame said harshly.   
"You know...when I was a little girl...I wasn't too thrilled when Navcase came to live with me. I asked my mom, 'Why does this boy have to live here with us? Why can't he stay with his mommy and daddy?' I wanted nothing to do with him. I wanted him to leave. I'm sure when your younger sisters came along, you wanted them to leave too, right?"   
"No, I love Suiren and Ran. Ran spends all her time with Yuri, so she leaves me alone, and Suiren keeps to herself. The only one I want to get rid of is Sakura." Ayame answered sarcastically. "There better be a point to all this."   
"But as I got a little older...I found out that he lost his parents...and Mr. Hiko didn't know how to take care of him...so he had my parents raise him while he taught him on weekends. It took me a little while to realize it, but I realized that I loved him...in fact, I had loved him from the second I first set eyes on him..."   
"I already know how much you two love each other..." Ayame snapped. "Either get to your point, or get out." 

Yuriko sighed. This was harder than she thought. Looking into her eyes, they were staring daggers back at her. But as she looked closer, she saw a girl, who was trying so hard to hate her. 

"Ayame? Other than Navcase, is there any other guy you care about?" Yuriko asked. 

Ayame started to tremble. Yuriko had no right to know. This was personal. Navcase was hers. She did not care if he was already reserved. He would be hers. There was no one else for her...except... 

Except Rowen. Her first love. They had so much in common...they both loved to sleep late, they both were intelligent, loved to eat sweets...but that did not matter now. Navcase was refined, dignified, honorable, noble...Rowen could not hold a candle to him. But Yuriko's eyes told her she wanted an answer. 

"Rowen...His name is Rowen...we have so much in common..." Ayame said, starting to smile a little. Yuriko breathed a sight of relief. Perhaps she was getting somewhere. "BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER NOW!!!! NAVCASE IS TEN TIMES BETTER!" Ayame shot back. 

_Okay, maybe that wasn't the best thing to ask, _Yuriko told herself. Perhaps there was something less threatening she could ask. 

"Ayame?...Why is it you like Navcase so much?" she asked. 

Ayame started to smile a little at this. She started to blush too. "Well...he's a great swordsman...he's noble...honorable...so sure of himself...not to mention handsome." Ayame said.   
"A girl after my own heart. Those are the exact same reasons I fell for him in the first place..." Yuriko said, trying not to sound too excited. She looked fearfully at Ayame, anticipating her reaction, fearing she would snap at her again. But her eyes remained opened, as she asked in a slightly more curious voice, "Really?" 

Yuriko nodded. At last! She was starting to get through to her. Taking the necklace, she gave it back to Ayame. 

"I know you're jealous...you have every right to be. But there are plenty of great guys out there...you know that guy you mentioned, Rowen? I think you should give this to him. My best guess is he's still waiting for you." 

Ayame nervously took the necklace back and placed it back around her neck. 

"Maybe you're right...but I still love Navcase..." Ayame said. "I'm sorry."   
"Ayame, I know this is hard. But you have to realize that you still love Rowen too, and that's who you're meant to be with. Just think about it for a second." 

Ayame closed her eyes and thought hard. She saw image after image of Navcase...fighting...her kiss with him...his appearances in her mind... 

"I'm trying...but all I see is him." Ayame said.   
"Can you remember him as a child?" 

Ayame searched her mind again...she saw herself as a child, playing with Sakura, before she started to be mean to her. Suiren as a little girl, crazy about little boys...Ran sleeping as a baby with Yuri...but still, no Navcase. 

"No..."   
"What about when he told you he loved you?" 

Ayame looked again...she tried...and tried...but there was nothing there...Navcase had never said how much he loved her...ever. She started to cry again, realizing the truth. He did not love her. She was not even sure if she loved him. 

_"Rowen, do you really want to do this?" Ayame asked._   
_"WHAT?" Anubis shouted._   
_"Sshh. Something's happening." Kale whispered._   
_"No. You?" Rowen said._   
_"No." Rowen said._   
_"You know what I think?" Ayame said._   
_"What?" Rowen asked._   
_"I think the girls convinced me that you wanted to do this, and the guys convinced you that I wanted to do this._   
_"Remind me to hurt Ryo and the others." Rowen said._   
_"Ditto for Sakura and the others." Ayame said._   
_"That's good to know." Rowen said, breathing a sigh of relief._   
_"Um Rowen, you can let go of my bra now." Ayame said._   
_"Oh sorry." Rowen said, extremely nervous._   
_"That's okay." Ayame said. "I was nervous too."___

She remembered that. How she and him sat in the dark and watched anime...how they playfully fought with pillows...when they made the others feel bad and pretended to fall asleep on the couch...he felt so warm...so comfortable. So comfortable she had nodded off that night cuddling with him. She remembered the first time they met...she was sitting in a chair reading a book, when this blue haired guy had walked over to her. When he introduced himself, he sounded so intelligent, so much like she was...not to mention gorgeous. Mom had told them about the Ronins, but she had no idea they were so cute in person. She remembered how angry she had been when they pretended to be sick...how surprised they were when they found out who the five of them were...working with Rowen to find something to defeat the Saiyans...so many memories of him. But only a few of Navcase. Nothing really substantial. Not enough to condemn him for life like she had done recently. Yuriko was right...she still loved Rowen. 

"Well?" Yuriko asked.   
"I have so few memories of Navcase...yet I have such vivid memories of when I was with Rowen...I miss him."   
"I have lots of memories of being with Navcase...he is like my brother and my lover at the same time...that is why I care for him so much...He does care about you. Other than me, he has never had any younger siblings. That's probably why he gets along with Ran so well. She's never had a big brother, and she looks up to him like one. I'd like for us to be that way too...but I know that won't happen. I want to be your friend...not your rival. I have a duty to protect you...and I can't do that if you hate me. Can you forgive me?" 

"I don't hate you...It's just...I wanted Navcase so badly...but I don't think I even deserve Rowen if I forgot about him like that." Ayame said. 

Yuriko put her hand on Ayame's shoulder. 

"I'll make you a deal. If you agree to be my friend, I'll help you woo Rowen. Deal?" Yuriko said. 

Ayame thought about it for a moment, but she did not even need that to consider her offer. Yuriko was right. There was no reason to hate them or to be jealous of them. Yuriko had tried to be her friend, and she had been rude. She owed it to her. 

"Deal." Ayame said, shaking her hand. 

Just then, Navcase peeked in. 

"Is it safe now? You're not saying anything bad about me are you?" Navcase said, nervously.   
"No, not yet anyway." Yuriko replied with a smirk. The two girls giggled.   
"Yuriko..." Navcase said with funny anger.   
"Navcase...I'm sorry I got mad at you...I was jealous...that's all...Yuriko said you gave back the necklace...I'll give it to Rowen..."   
"Ayame, I have something to say. When you gave me that necklace...it gave me strength. Your faith in me was why I was able to resist for so long, because I knew someone cared about me. I had no idea at the time that you loved me, and I'm sorry for leading you to believe that. Can you ever forgive me?"   
"You're forgiven." Ayame said. "I could never stay mad at such a noble guy."   
"Noble? Well, he wasn't always this noble." Yuriko said with a smirk.   
"Oh no..." Navcase said, fearing the worst.   
"I remember a time when our Shinta-chan was looking around for the bathroom because he really had to go..." 

Navcase's face turned redder than Ryo's flame. 

"Oh dear...not this...you said you wouldn't tell anyone about this..." Navcase said. However, Ayame's interest had already been piqued, and she was listening intently.   
"Well, Navcase opened a door, and I was getting dressed...and he...kinda saw me naked." Yuriko said.   
"REALLY?" Ayame said, completely hooked.   
"He was so embarrassed! He apologized about fifty times before running down the hall after closing the door behind him. His face lit up. It was soooo red." Yuriko said. 

Navcase began to tiptoe away to lick his wounds as Yuriko brought up the time when Navcase was a little boy he wet the bed, as Ayame's laughter was so loud she could not contain herself. 

"YOU FOOLS!!!!!" Ceiphied roared at his minions. "Because of your failure, I have lost an important bargaining chip! By allowing those two to save Yuriko, which was the only thing keeping that traitor Navcase in the palm of my hand, I have no means of bargaining with the Sword of Heaven! We are slowly loosing troops, and that is bad. But because you fools have been unable to remotely locate any of the Drakka Shichiseishi, we must kill them before they can find any more of theirs! Kouen, you will lead the assault on the Isle of Mists this time. Rakurai, Koureha, and Gantassai, you will assist him. Gekidoku, while the others divert their attention, I want you to break into the Shrine of Amaterasu and see if there are any items that may allow us to find the Seishi, because I AM GETTING SICK OF WAITING!!!!!!! GO!!!!! AND DO NOT COME BACK EMPTY-HANDED!!!!!!! 

**To Be Continued...** ****

**Next Episode******

AYAKO: Hey, it's me Ayako, you know, Valley girl's cousin? Sure, my cousin gets on my nerves from time to time, but I still love her. Next time, the attack gets so bad that all the Seishi are forced to go into battle, including Youtotsuko. When she cries out to me somehow, I can't help but go to her rescue, but why? It's Next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Mistress of Space. Watch for it, okay?   
  



	21. Mistress of Space

"Youtotsuko! Come on! I need to take a shower!" Ayako called from outside the bathroom door.   
"Like, could you not call me Youtotsuko, okay? You sound SO like my mother." came the voice from inside.   
"Okay...Yoko, could you PLEASE let me in?"   
"Not now, I'm giving myself a facial. Come back in an hour, kay?"   
"That's what you said an HOUR AGO! Can't you do it some other place?"   
"Like, no." Yoko replied. 

Ayako fumed. Ever since her stuck-up cousin and her had moved into the palace, she had continually driven her out of her mind. She hogged the bathroom five times more than Suiren. Some days a line would form outside the door, of people anxious to relieve or refresh themselves. 

"Like there are like nine other bathrooms in this palace? So why don't you use one of them?" 

"Because Suiren's in one of them primping herself, Ran's taking a shower elsewhere singing along to the brilliant green, I don't want to dare disturb Sakura while she's showering, and Ayame's in the other one! AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, COUSIN, there are only FIVE full bathrooms in this place, and you're in the fifth, so they're all occupied you ditz!..." 

As Ayako continued to bitch at her cousin, she failed to notice her ring beginning to glow, and a slight wind picking up around her. She calmed down as the door opened, revealing her completely made up cousin. 

"There. Happy now? I've got to go meet this Kaosu person...I hope he's cute!" she said as she skipped off. Ayako angrily stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door.   
  
  


Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 21: Mistress of space   


  
  
  
  
  


Yoko headed down the hall happily. The place was amazing. She loved it here, especially since meeting her new friend Suiren. Ayako, though, was considerably angry at her. But it did not matter. She had business to attend to. 

Stepping into one of the battle areas, she spotted a figure wearing traditional robes. He carried a shakujo, and atop his head was a traditional pointed hat. She almost took a step back. There was only one thing to do. Get rid of him. 

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!" she screamed, her hair turning white along with her eyes, and sending a lightning bolt screaming down at the figure. He touched the ground with his staff, causing the bolt to dissipate harmlessly as it struck. 

She stood there in disbelief. How could he have done that? 

"You can calm down, Youtotsuko. I am not Ri Houjun."   
"Okay...then who are you?"   
"I am Kaosu. And I am going to teach you how to use your magic."   
"My...magic?"   
"Yes. In addition to the power you got from being the descendant of Ri Houjun, your father is also a descendant of my own clan, so you have access to the magic of the Ancients."   
"Oookay..." Yoko replied.   
"This might be hard to believe at first, but you must perfect your powers so that you can become a powerful asset as a Seishi."   
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Yoko said. 

Meanwhile... 

"Ryo! Anubis! We've got a problem!" Hariel said as he ran into the Ronins' camp.   
"What is it?" Ryo asked.   
"Draconai. Lots of them." Hariel reported.   
"They're trying yet another preemptive strike?" Anubis wondered. "This is getting too predictable and boring."   
"Come on. Let's go stop them." Ryo said, heading out to where the battle would most likely be, with the others behind him. Looking down from a cliff, they gasped at the site. Rows after rows of Draconai, lined up for battle, looking completely Romanesque. 

"This is not good..." Anubis said.   
"Anubis...Ryo...come to the palace immediately." Amaterasu's voice said.   
"All right. Rowen, stay here and see what you can do. We'll be back as soon as possible." Ryo said as Anubis teleported the two away.   
"Okay guys, let's see if Talpa can give us some support." Rowen said. 

As if in answer, an army of Dynasty Soldiers appeared behind him. 

"Okay, I think we might be ready...I just hope Ryo gets back soon." 

Ryo and Anubis warped into the palace, where Amaterasu was waiting for them. 

"Ryo, Anubis. The Draconai have gathered to take the Isle. Ceiphied's attack this time will be relentless." she explained.   
"They're always relentless." Ryo said.   
"Did you notice anything unusual about the army?" Amaterasu asked.   
"Not really, only that there were a lot of them this time." Ryo said.   
"I saw that Gekidoku's group was not there." Anubis reported. "Ceiphied is definitely up to something."   
"That is my suspicion as well. We must protect the Isle at all costs. The Shrine is a gateway to my palace that I have created for your use. However, if Ceiphied finds it he will be able to exact his revenge." Amaterasu explained.   
"You called for us Amaterasu?" Navcase asked as he and the other Seishi ran up.   
"Yes. I need all of you to go to Earth to protect my shrine. If he attacks the Isle, he may use it to gain access to here. Yuriko, I have something for you." Amaterasu said. 

Producing a naginata, she handed it to her. In her hands she held a long pole about six to eight feet long, with a sharp blade on the end. It resembled Kento's staff. 

"I have heard that you are quite proficient in this weapon. This will allow you to focus your power as a Seishi." Amaterasu explained. "You will be able to destroy Draconai instantly when powered up. As for you Ryo, take this. We managed to steal Kouen's Mantle of Flame when we found Yoko. Take it. It may be able to amplify your own powers." 

She then handed orbs to Yoko and Yuriko, explaining that these were their armors to use when things got too overwhelming. With that the Seishi leapt into her portal, vanishing instantly. Ayako snuck into the room. 

Yoko would be doomed in combat. She would never lift a finger if it meant she would break a nail. Against thousands of those things...she would be killed. Not hesitating for another second, Ayako leapt through the portal after her. 

When she landed, she found herself in a shrine of some sort. There was a statue of Amaterasu in the room, along with all sorts of candles. As she turned a corner, she found herself face to face with another woman. Both screamed in surprise. 

"What are you doing here?" Mia asked.   
"Um...I'm looking for my cousin." Ayako asked.   
"Would she be the Valley Girl?" Mia asked.   
"Yes! Yes!" Ayako exclaimed. "Where'd she go?"   
"She's gone out to battle with the other Seishi. But we'll be safe here. The Forgotten Souls will protect us." Mia said. 

Back at the battlefield, the dragons prepared for combat. Kouen walked among the legions of Draconai, inspecting them for combat. The Ishibiya Corps were ready. The other groups were eager to destroy their enemy, standing with their claws at the ready. 

"All the soldiers are ready, Kouen." Rakurai replied.   
"Excellent. At my signal, unleash hell." Kouen replied. 

The Ishibiya Corps took aim. The others prepared to unleash energy bolts. 

"Ryo! Hurry..." Rowen said, feeling the power rising.   
"We're back." Ryo said, running up with the other Seishi.   
"You're just in time. They're about to attack I think." Rowen said.   
"Where'd you get that Ryo?" Kento asked.   
"Amaterasu gave it to me. She thinks it'll increase my power output." Ryo explained. 

Down on the ground below, Kouen surveyed the enemy. They had thousands of troops too. But they were mere animated suits of armor compared to the Draconai. Talpa was always a weakling, and they would prove it. It was then that he caught sight of Ryo...wearing his armor. Seething with anger, he shouted... 

"ATTACK!!!!!!!!" 

The Ishibiya Corps fired their energy blasts, as thousands of other blasts flew at the heroes, who dove out of the way as Talpa's troops fell. 

"Let's do it. We'll need everything we've got." Ryo said. 

The Seishi looked to the heavens and shouted out one by one... 

"ARMOR OF WHITE REFLECTION!!!!"   
"ARMOR OF HOPE!!!!"   
"ARMOR OF FEILONG!!!!" Yoko screamed.   
"ARMOR OF ASHATARON HERMIT CRAB!!!!!" Yuriko added. 

The armors attached as they always did. Feilong attached to Yoko, while Ashataron Hermit Crab linked up with Yuriko. The warriors braced for the incoming assault as Talpa's forces charged Kouen's army. 

"CHARGE!!!!" Kouen ordered. 

Soldier after soldier fell as the Draconai moved like a swarm up towards Ryo and the others. Navcase activated the cannons while Ryo prepared his swords for his own attack. The two blasts screamed towards the Draconai. 

"AT FIELDS!!!!!!!" Kouen shouted. 

At once, all the Draconai spread their AT Fields, in an attempt to absorb the blow. A few were not so lucky and were vaporized, but their shields held. 

"Damn. They blocked it?" Ryo wondered.   
"We will have to take them up close and personal." Anubis said, readying his scythe. 

Navcase ignited his twin beam sabers, and stood ready with Yuriko by his side as the soldiers advanced quickly towards them. Ryo and the others charged into them, slicing them down with their blades, but more kept coming. Ryo slashed through soldier after soldier with his Swords of Light, Anubis followed through with his scythe and cannons. Navcase cut down Draconai left and right as well, with Yuriko behind him. Yoko tried, but her inexperience separated her from the others. Soon all were lost in the confusion. 

"Well, if it isn't the one that escaped me before..." Kouen said as he approached. "I may not have my full power right now...but I will destroy you for my master." 

Yoko screamed, loud enough so that it could be heard by Ayako. 

"Yoko...she's in trouble. I've got to go help her." Ayako said.   
"No, it's too dangerous out there. Wait until she comes back." Mia said.   
"No! She's scared and she's not sure what she's supposed to do. She may be a total ditz sometimes...but she is my cousin. I've got to try." Ayako declared. 

Pushing her way through the Forgotten Souls, she raced off towards Yoko. Hariel and the others prepared to stop her, but they spotted something else. Gekidoku. 

"ATTACK!!!" he shouted. 

As the Draconai charged, he realized something...The main attack was only a diversion! They were after something! 

Ayako raced along the ground, towards her cousin. She had to get there, fast. As Navcase sliced down yet another Draconai, he noticed Ayako running towards the battlefield. 

"No! Go back to the Shrine!" Navcase insisted.   
"I've got to help Yoko!" she shouted back.   
"Another one! Open fire!" Kouen shouted. 

The other Elite prepared their breath weapons and unleashed their wrath directly at her. Navcase charged towards her, attempting to get there before the attacks did, but he was too late. They impacted, and she screamed. He shut his eyes to hide from the horror, but he felt Yuriko tapping on his shoulder. 

"Navcase...look..." she said. 

He followed her finger towards Ayako, and gasped in surprise. She was glowing brightly, her hair billowing out behind her. He noticed a kanji glowing on her thigh...the kanji for "space" 

"No one...will harm her..." Ayako declared, as she aimed her hands at the Elite and knocked them back with a blast of force that knocked them off their feet. More energy began gathering between her hands as she fired off blast after blast, knocking the force back slowly but surely. 

"DESTROY HER!!!!" Kouen ordered. 

Energy bolt after Energy bolt flew at her, but they only struck her without phasing her a bit. 

"Get out of here! I'll draw their fire." Ayako shouted. 

The others shed their armor and returned to their standard Seishi forms. They all noticed that the jewel on her ring was getting brighter and brighter. 

"Forget her! Their armor has been shed. We'll crush them now!" Kouen declared as they prepared to attack the other Seishi. 

Ayako's aura glowed brighter than it had been. She watched her cousin watch in horror as they approached. The others braced for the attack. Ryo was worried, fearing the armor would be too much for him to handle. She had to do something. Soon. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!" Ayako screamed, her body glowing with incredible energy. A think armor covered her body as sharp spikes flashed out from her forearms. A helmet with only a small space for vision formed around her head as three spikes flashed upward from her helmet. A pair of angelic wings sprouted from her back as she grew to be almost seven feet tall. She began firing life force blasts one after another, decimating the Draconai ranks. With each blast, her spikes became smaller and smaller. 

"RETREAT!!!! RETREAT!!!!!!!!" Kouen shouted, spreading his wings and heading into the air. The remaining Draconai followed as Ayako's power faded, returning her to normal. Navcase barely caught her as she collapsed from exhaustion. 

Later...back at the palace, Ayako opened her eyes to find all the others gathered around her bed. 

"You're finally awake." Navcase said. "How do you feel?"   
"Drained...did I do all that?" Ayako asked.   
"Yes, my dear, you did." Amaterasu explained. "Your power is to compress and manipulate space, and you seem to also possess the power to absorb bio energy and focus it through your hands or that ring. You are Okami no Uchuu, our Mistress of Space. Welcome."   
"I'm a...Seishi?" Ayako asked.   
"Yes." Amaterasu said.   
"Whoooho!!!!!!!!!! It's been my lifelong dream to be like an anime heroine!" Ayako exclaimed happily.   
"I think she's lost her mind, fer sure. Suiren, let's go." Yoko said, leaving the room.   
"Now rest. You'll need your strength." Navcase said as he and Yuriko left. The girls followed suit, except Sakura.   
"Now, all we need to do is find the Seventh Seishi, and the Priestess, and we can stop Ceiphied forever." 

"CURSE ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!" Ceiphied said, throwing his throne into a wall in frustration. "You have caused me to loose Yuriko...you failed to bring back any magical artifact that could possibly find the Drakka Shichiseishi, and you allowed another one to awaken!!!!!" 

The Elite stepped back. They knew they would be Ceiphied's snack food in a matter of minutes. Suddenly, a soldier ran in. 

"Master, I am sorry to interrupt, but there is some sort of vehicle requesting entry."   
"I shall deal with you later..." Ceiphied said, heading out to the courtyard. 

The Draconai pulled the front gates open, as a series of heavy transports began to pile into the base. The men driving them exited the vehicles and ran off in terror, fearing for the worst. Several soldiers prepared to attack. 

"No. Let them go. Let us see who would go to all this trouble to deliver something here." Ceiphied said. 

Opening up the back of one of the trucks, Ceiphied gasped at the sight. It was full of guns and ammunition. High-powered rifles and machinecannons. The best body armor money could buy. Further inspection revealed more of the same. 

"Master, take a look over here!" a soldier called. 

They opened a set of doors to find rows upon rows of small maneuverable tanks. In another, they found heavily armed power armor. In yet another, there were rows upon rows of machines that looked like knocked off Mecha Knights. 

"What shall we do with this? Destroy it?" a soldier asked.   
"No. Use it. I believe this is the advantage that we have been lacking. I have a plan to eliminate those accursed Seishi, that they will never be able to fight back from." Ceiphied said, before breaking into laughter. 

**Next Episode**

KENTO: Kento Here. I've had just enough of these Seishi popping out of the woodwork. First Ryo, then Anubis, then all these new people one after another. 

SAI: Kento, we're not here to complain... 

KENTO: When we discover that the final Seishi might be near Ceiphied's base, Rowen leads us on a search mission. But will we find the Seishi, or will the Draconai find us first? 

SAI: It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Search for the Final Seishi. 

KENTO: Best of all, none of those moders show up at all!   
  



	22. Search for the Final Seishi

"CURSE ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!" Ceiphied said, throwing his throne into a wall in frustration. "You have caused me to loose Yuriko...you failed to bring back any magical artifact that could possibly find the Drakka Shichiseishi, and you allowed another one to awaken!!!!!" 

The Elite stepped back. They knew they would be Ceiphied's snack food in a matter of minutes. Suddenly, a soldier ran in. 

"Master, I am sorry to interrupt, but there is some sort of vehicle requesting entry."   
"I shall deal with you later..." Ceiphied said, heading out to the courtyard. 

The Draconai pulled the front gates open, as a series of heavy transports began to pile into the base. The men driving them exited the vehicles and ran off in terror, fearing for the worst. Several soldiers prepared to attack. 

"No. Let them go. Let us see who would go to all this trouble to deliver something here." Ceiphied said. 

Opening up the back of one of the trucks, Ceiphied gasped at the sight. It was full of guns and ammunition. High-powered rifles and machinecannons. The best body armor money could buy. Further inspection revealed more of the same. 

"Master, take a look over here!" a soldier called. 

They opened a set of doors to find rows upon rows of small maneuverable tanks. In another, they found heavily armed power armor. In yet another, there were rows upon rows of machines that looked like knocked off Mecha Knights. 

"What shall we do with this? Destroy it?" a soldier asked.   
"No. Use it. I believe this is the advantage that we have been lacking. I have a plan to eliminate those accursed Seishi, that they will never be able to fight back from." Ceiphied said, before breaking into laughter.   


Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 22: Search for the Final Seishi. 

_Several hours after the initial takeover by the Draconai…___

_In the emptied, evacuated section of Toyama taken over by the Draconai, an armored van now sped towards it. Within it was a SWAT team, led by their top officer, Captain Kashin Zoutou. He was well built, intimidating, serious to the core. He had to be. These things had already taken out a few JDSSF units only hours earlier, since they took over the military base. Kashin was the only one left that might be able to stop them. He checked his watch. There were still about 20 minutes before they arrived. Better time than any to check out the rejects they had given him this time.___

_Looking to the other side of the vehicle, was a big, burly man, who appeared to be dressed in a tight blue jumpsuit. He wore sunglasses, and had dreadlocks going down the back of his head. The folder that Kashin's boss had given him on this guy said that he was discharged from his last force after something about "opening a can of whup ass on a fellow employee." Still, this guy had an impressive resume. Not to mention an impressive arsenal. He had brought some sort of backpack with him, and had two pistols holstered by his side. He was cleaning a large cannon and there was a large, heavy looking yellow gun beside him. He also noticed he had brought several cans of whup ass with him, and that it was imported, making him all the more dangerous.___

_Next to the large gentleman was a young girl, wearing some sort of light body armor. She had purple hair and was recommended highly because of her hand to hand fighting skills. It claimed that she had great skill with weapons, but she could never choose which weapon to use. She appeared to be using some sort of spray on herself, that every few seconds would cause a wind-like sound to travel through the vehicle, and then disappear suddenly.___

_Sitting to the right of her was a tall male, who was wearing sunglasses. He was drinking a cup of coffee, while loading his gun with very high powered rounds, while mumbling something about the person sitting next to him.___

_Sitting next to the other sunglassed gentleman was the youngest person assigned to him this time. She looked very cute and somewhat innocent. She was dressed in a purple Meijish outfit and was listening to a personal stereo tucked into her sash through a pair of earbuds. She was currently sleeping peacefully, her head leaning against the other side of the seat, but from time to time she would mumble about how cute and cool she was. Her profile stated that she seemed to delight in killing and her extreme genkiness made her incredibly dangerous. She had several weapons on her, including what looked like a sniper rifle loaded with RPB rounds, two strange looking pistols, a rocket launcher fully loaded clipped to her sash, and two green gatling-type cannons next to her. He hoped she would live up to her report.___

_Seated next to the sleeping young girl was his final assigned soldier, a large four-armed metal being. The report stated that he was a former soldier for Kinjiro Osaki, who was testing out some new technology. He was carrying a pair of samurai swords at his side, and a pistol was holstered on the other. He had some kind of rifle slung over his shoulder, and was cleaning and loading a large railgun. This guy was supposed to be very good, referred to Kashin's boss by a man who seemed to enjoy saying "Damn" more than the average person. But still, he seemed to be in good hands.___

_He had also been assigned a great deal of grunts to assist with this difficult mission. Several of them, all dressed in blue, seemed to be talking about how they did not like how they were "in this Chicken Shit outfit", and how they should "frag this commander". Other guys, in red, were cleaning their flame-throwers and discussing propane and propane accessories. Others, equipped with laser scopes, were discussing how the enemy would never know what hit them. Thanks to Kinjiro, they had been equipped with experimental cloaking devices. In an instant, they could call down hell upon the Draconai base, provided they were not wiped out first.___

_The heavy vehicle pulled up near the former military base silently, and the back doors was quietly opened. The young girl was gently shaken awake and woke up instantly, skipping out of the back of the vehicle. The purple haired girl climbed out, as did the dreadlocked individual. The cop exited next, ready with his gun. The miscellaneous troops cocked their weapons and climbed out as well. The large metal figure stepped out of the truck with a large clang.___

_Everyone tensed up, hoping that the noise had not alerted the enemy to their presence. When nothing happened, Kashin breathed a sigh of relief. He motioned to the large Metal person, who lifted the young Meijish girl up to where she could see.___

_"Do you see anything?" Kashin asked._   
_"Um, let's see…one…two…three…WAI! A couple hundred!" she exclaimed, pulling up her rocket launcher. She allowed the weapon to cache and then let them loose, sending missiles flying at the unsuspecting troops, who were vaporized within a small area. She was pulled down by Kashin and the others after she caused slight commotion.___

_"I'm so cool!" she exclaimed._   
_"No, that wasn't cool." The large dreadlocked man said. "Now all them things are gonna get suspicious."_   
_"I say we frag this commander…" one of the grunts said. Several others nodded their heads in agreement.___

_The large dreadlocked man cracked his knuckles and put up his fists.___

_"Would you boys like me to open a can of whup ass on ya? Because I will." He said._   
_"Okay Captain Zoutou, what's the plan." The purple haired girl asked._   
_"We break in as silently as possible." He replied._   
_"Easy for you, oh, Noisy-wan Kenobi." The purple haired girl said, referring to the large dreadlocked individual._   
_"Wanna make something of it girl?" he replied.___

_The two took fighting stances as Kashin put his head in his hands.___

_"Okay, everyone, stop fighting, now. We're not going to get anywhere like this." Kashin replied.___

_As he tried to resolve the conflict, the Meiji-ish girl had already brought out her rocket launcher again and was preparing to blast open the front gate.___

_"OH SHIT!" the dreadlocked individual shouted._   
_"I'M SO CUTE!!!!!!!" she shouted, firing a salvo that knocked it down, alerting the Draconai to their presence, who now swarmed them, armed with various guns._   
_"WAI WAI WAI WAI WAI WAI!!!!" the Meiji-ish girl shouted, firing rocket salvo after rocket salvo, vaporizing them.___

_As she fired, Kashin noticed a building off to one side that was probably an ammo depot. He ordered the grunts to lay down cover fire while he side strafed with his machine gun, as the Meiji-ish girl continued to delight in the carnage.___

_"Allow me to Introduce Myself!" she exclaimed as more rockets were unloaded on the unsuspecting Draconai._   
_"Oh look. I will get a chance to use my whup ass after all." The dreadlocked man stated.___

_He pulled out some sort of trigger and pressed a button, causing a salvo of missiles to streak towards the Draconai and vaporize them.___

_The Purple haired girl had wasted no time running in and kicking the Draconai down, punching them, and then somersaulting onto them to keep them down. She caused them much pain.___

_The large metal guy was constantly firing his railgun, riddling Draconai after Draconai with depleted uranium shells. From time to time he would whip out his plasma cannon and fire that at them instead.___

_The cop had brought out his gun and was firing repeatedly, swearing at the Draconai, asking God why he had been put on this mission.___

_The Meiji-ish girl, of course, was now shouting about how beautiful the carnage she was creating was, as she ran out of rockets and now began frying them with green death beams.___

_The dreadlocked man brought out a chaingun and proceeded to unload with that as everyone else, except for the extremely euphoric Meiji girl, ran towards the ammo building. Once inside, the purple haired girl pulled out a cannon and began discharging shots out the window while the large metal guy took their attacks and returned fire. The dreadlocked gentleman exclaimed, "Jackpot!" when he saw the large amount of ammo within the depot, and proceeded to announce whether he had a weapon or not as he went through the arsenal. He rejoiced as he found a rocket launcher. He stepped by the large metal guy and took aim at the Draconai.___

_"I'm gonna make you my bitch!" he declared as he opened fire, blasting one of them to kingdom come.___

_The Draconai seemed to be having enough of this senseless slaughter. They were being fried, shot at by the grunts, most of which were vaporized quickly using their energy blasts. The other team members did not seem to be going down as quickly, and they were dropping like flies.___

_And then, the Meiji-ish girl ran out of ammo for her twin guns. The Draconai smiled.___

_They charged her relentlessly as she tried to break out her sniper rifle in time, before she was clawed to death, eliminating her from the picture. The large metal guy had run out of ammo, and thus brought out his swords, slicing through the others as they realized that without the Meijish girl, their chances were slim. They had not even broken into the interior of the base. The purple haired girl was soon caught off guard and taken down as well, before she could heal herself. The Cop was the next to fall as he ran out of ammo and was knocked painfully and brutally into a wall. All that remained were the dreadlocked individual and the metal guy. With the dreadlocked guy covering the metal guy and Kashin, the trio began to retreat. As they ran, Kashin ordered several of the espionage units to lock on…only to find the Draconai had transformed to their dragon forms.___

_"OH SHIT. This is not good." The dreadlocked guy said.___

_He brought out his big guns, and fired, one sending a blast of energy at a dragon, injuring it badly, the other causing a nuclear type explosion. Both were not enough to stop all of them.___

_"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the dreadlocked man shouted as he fired.___

_The Large metal guy fired his plasma cannon several times, but it soon ran out of power, leaving him vulnerable to Draconai assault, which tore through his tough armor and soon left him damaged, enough for the Draconai to finish him.___

_"Get out of here!" the dreadlocked guy shouted to Kashin._   
_"No, you're coming, that's an order!" Kashin shot back._   
_"I can take these guys. You go get us some backup!" he said._   
_"Fine. Good luck to you."_   
_"No problem. Hey, looks like I got one more can of whup ass left. I wonder who I should use it on…"___

_A group of Draconai approached in their dragon forms, looming over him. The gentleman opened the can and drank the contents down in one gulp.___

_"Now that's refreshment! Well, well, it looks like we have some volunteers. Who's ya daddy, you messed up sons of bitches?" he shouted.___

_Kashin dove to the ground and braced himself as a large explosion ensued, as he saw a pair of goggles fly through the air. He had tried. At least he went down fighting.___

_He strode back to the vehicle, disheartened even now. He had barely gotten to know these people, yet in a matter of minutes, they had all be wiped out, one by one. One had barely begun to live…much like his daughter, who had disappeared when she was three, assumed to be dead. Now another burden was on his shoulders. He angrily threw his weapons into the back of the vehicle and slammed the doors behind him, as they drove off.___

_Some hours later, a group of armored warriors touched down at the site, while a caped individual watched from a rooftop…_   
  
**Present Day**__

The Heroes had done well in their fight thus far. Time and time again, they had fought off advances by the Draconai. When Navcase attacked under Ceiphied's influence, Ryo awakened as the first of the Seven Seishi of Amaterasu. Soon after, Anubis arose as the second. It was a great surprise when Navcase came down, declaring himself the third. A brief search had located the fourth, Yoko, a teenager with a slight attitude and authority problem, seemingly terrified of monks that appeared from hats. Navcase's fiancee, Yuriko, had turned out to be the fifth, and Yoko's cousin Ayako, was the sixth. Only one remained. Only one Seishi stood between them and victory. Once this final warrior was found, then they could begin their search for the Priestess, call Amaterasu down from the heavens and grant three wishes, to banish evil from this world. 

The Ronins were recovering along with Ryo and Anubis, when Amaterasu astrally projected herself on the island. 

"Everyone, Kinjiro has recently informed me that he may have discovered the location of the Seventh Seishi that we need to complete our set." 

Everyone except Sekhmet and Kento broke into cheer. When the cheering died down, Amaterasu continued. 

"However, the problem seems to be that this individual may be very close to where Ceiphied is. You must proceed with caution." she said before vanishing.   
"Ryo, I can take the Ronins and Warlords with me to go look for this guy. Our power levels are low enough so that they won't find us right away." Rowen said.   
"Yeah sure, wouldn't want any of our precious Seishi to get injured or killed..." Kento said under his breath.   
"The gods always smile on Ryo or Anubis. Why them? Why do they get to be Seishi and I don't?" Sekhmet muttered.   
"Okay. Good luck and come back safely." Ryo said. 

Rowen and the others armored up and blasted off for the location as fast as possible. Upon reaching the site, they slowly touched down and stood ready with their weaponry. 

"Okay, it's probably best if we split up. Kento, you and Sai go that way. Kale, Sage, you search over that way. Dais, Sekhmet, you guys come with me. We'll meet back here in an hour, whether you've found something or not. Remember to keep your power down so that the Draconai don't find us." Rowen said. 

With that, the team split up and searched through the ruined area that was part of Toyama. 

"I can't stand this!" Kento said, kicking the remains of a car as he and Sai walked down the street. "Ever since Ryo's got his wings, it's been nothing but Seishi this, Seishi that! The non-Saiyan fighters were instantly outclassed the moment Goku's hair turned gold, and in much the same way, we're fading into the darkness too!" Kento complained.   
"But can't you look at the situation a little more positively? We're finally going to defeat the Draconai when we find all of them. Anubis has always wanted a way to repay Ryo and now he does."   
"Yeah, but everything good happens to Ryo! First Inferno, now those blasted wings of Flame. We were doing just fine until he came back with his new armor and the realization that he's a Seishi!"   
"Calm down Kento! Things like that will destroy the team!"   
"I'll say what I wanna say! And I'll prove we're not dead weight either!"   
"It looks like you'll get your chance Kento. Look!" Sai said, pointing. 

Several Draconai soldiers showed up. They looked different from usual. In addition to their usual battle outfits, they seemed to be wearing some sort of body armor, and all had rifles in their hands. 

"FIRE!!" One shouted.   
"Get down!" Sai shouted as they dived behind some rubble as the Draconai unloaded on them, bullets falling to the ground in piles.   
"Since when did they get guns?" Kento wondered. "Doesn't matter. They're going down!" Kento said, pulling out his staff and igniting both blades.   
"Kento stop!" Sai shouted. 

Kento rushed at the warriors, his armor taking the bullets as he charged at them. With two quick swipes, two of them had their guns cut in half. Those two reached back, charged up and pushed forward, sending Kento flying back as the others proceeded to continue firing, which Kento began to block with his shield. 

"Time to knock you guys out." Kento said, extending his Dragon Fang and using it like a whip to knock the soldiers off their feet, before proceeding to twirl his staff. "IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!!!!" 

The boulders flew towards the Dragons, but they blocked with their AT fields. 

"Ha ha! You failed!" one shouted, just as a salvo of missiles slammed into them. "FORGET THEM! We should find the other one!"   
"But we can't find him!" another soldier shouted.   
"We don't need to worry. There is no way he can hit us from this dis-" 

Just before an RPB round flew into his head, blasting it to atoms. 

"Yeah! Take that you bastards!" Kento shouted, before Sai grabbed his arm and the two started to run off. "Hey! Let go! We've got them right where we want them!" Kento shouted. 

Sai and Kento rounded the corner and stopped in their tracks as they came face to face with a strange four treaded tank. It lowered some sort of pylons to lock it into place, as a large cannon unfolded from its back and aimed directly at them. 

"Well well! I think we should drop the hammer on these fools and dispense some VERY discriminate injustice!" the tank commander declared. 

Kento and Sai had no choice but to put their hands up as several more soldiers armed with guns ran onto the scene... 

Meanwhile, Kale and Sage were methodically trying to seek this final warrior out. To pass the time, they had begun to discuss what this warrior might be like. 

"So, what do you think this final Seishi's like Kale? I hope she's cute so that I can flirt with her a little."   
"But don't you have Suiren already Halo?"   
"She won't mind." Sage explained.   
"All right. I hope that he or she is a powerful warrior, much like myself."   
"But don't we already have Navcase?" Sage asked.   
"True. But I wonder what his or her powers are." Kale said.   
"Yeah, me too. Hopefully they are useful." Sage said. "Um, Kale...wouldn't it be great if we had this Seishi now...?" he said, pointing at a group of Draconai that was closing in on them.   
"Indeed Halo. Indeed!" Kale said.   
"I hope this works." Sage said, as the two placed their blades together.   
"Thunder...Bolt...Cut!"   
"Black Lighting Slash!" Kale shouted. 

The two attacks flew out and merged into one, causing a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, the Draconai looked around frantically for the two of them. Two were instantly cut in half as the two warriors crashed down with their swords. More went for Kale, but he whipped them into a wall with his heat rod, and sliced down still more with his Beam Sword. Others pulled out their guns and began firing at the two, who dove for opposite walls. 

"Since when did they get those?" Kale shouted over the gunfire.   
"Not sure. This was an interesting development!" Sage shouted. "CHARIOT!!!!" 

Out of the sky Sage's mechanical chariot descended, taking the hits from the bullets long enough for the two to get behind it, leap into the air so that Kale could slice them up with his Beam Sword at almost full power. 

"You cut them down! I'll smash the Energists!" Sage said, pulling out his hammer. 

Kale began tearing into the ranks with his energy blade, slicing them cleanly open while Sage began smashing, but it soon became apparent that there were too few of them, and too many of the Draconai. 

"We don't have the firepower that the others do! We better retreat!" Sage said.   
"Can't let you do that, Ronins." a voice said from behind. 

Several strange machinegun equipped bipedal walkers began walking into the alleyway on either side, cutting off both escape routes, leveling their high powered cannons at both of them. 

*"Attention Lord Ceiphied. We have found the intrud--" one said before he was cut off from his transmission. "What? What's going on here? Something's scrambling this piece of junk!" 

Kale and Sage noticed a low hum coming from somewhere. They watched as one of the machine's cannons was twisted into a knot, before nuts and bolts came unscrewed one by one, causing the machine to fall apart piece by piece. 

"If this is some sort of diversion, let's get out of here!" Sage shouted, as the two started to make a break for it. 

Suddenly Sage was hit by some sort of weird shell, that caused all his mechanical systems to suddenly shut down! The HUD went out and everything went black as the machine collapsed to the ground with a thud. Kale barely had time to react before one hit him too and his also shut down. The Ishibiya Corps closed in on them as they were taken too... 

Meanwhile... 

"This Seishi better be around here somewhere...we need a scroll or something." Rowen said as they searched aimlessly.   
"A mirror would also be helpful..." Dais added.   
"Screw that! We've got to get rid of Anubis! Why does he get all the attention!" Sekhmet complained.   
"I see he's making like his counterpart..." Dais commented.   
"The rest of us are much better and much more competent warriors than he is, so why was he chosen? His power's practically useless, then there's that armor, which looks too much like his old one, he dresses like he's the God of Death or something, then there's that hair..."   
"Sekhmet, if it was not for Anubis, we would not have made it this far! He's made several dozen contributions and saved us many times too!" Dais fired back.   
"By contributions and saving us, do you mean when Ryo died and he went berserk and killed everything?" Sekhmet asked.   
"Will you two cut it out? We're supposed to be looking for the..." 

Suddenly a group of Draconai held a gun to Rowen's face. 

"Seishi." 

Dais brought out his beam saber while Sekhmet readied his many swords. With expert precision the two tore into the Draconai ranks until they heard the familiar call of the Ishibiya Corps, who fired a blast that they barely dodged. Rowen retaliated with arrows as he strafed his way to a hiding place. Sekhmet cut down soldier after soldier with his swords, while Dais followed behind, attempting to smash the energists, only to be prevented by more Draconai armed with guns. He opened up his Megasonic gun and wasted a few, but they managed to hold on by raising their AT Fields. 

"Our power's not enough to kill them as quickly!" Rowen said.   
"We can do this! We don't need Anubis or the others!" Sekhmet said, slashing like a madman. 

The group heard some sort of hydraulic movement as something moved towards them. The next thing they heard was the sound of missiles whistling towards them, before a strange hum came up, as the missiles stopped just short of them, hovering in the air. Rowen breathed a sigh of relief as Sekhmet, cackling gleefully, prepared his swords. 

"Sekhmet NO!!!" Rowen shouted as in what seemed like slow motion cut through the missiles with his sword, sending the three flying through the air, landing with a thud. They began to get up as they collapsed into unconsciousness. 

Rowen, Dais, and Sekhmet opened their eyes to find themselves shackled to a wall. Looking to either side of them, they found their allies, apparently also captured. 

"Sorry Rowen. They got us too." Sai said sadly.   
"The same happened to us." Kale said.   
"It's okay, we'll find a way out of this." Rowen declared.   
"Well well well, you actually succeeded this time. It seems those 'gifts' of the new magic were just what we needed." Ceiphied replied.   
"So, what do you plan to do with them Master?" Kouen asked.   
"The worst, of course." 

An aura of evil began to form in the room as Ceiphied began a very nasty spell. The Ronins screamed in pain as it began to hit them. 

Back at the Isle... 

"This is bad." Ryo said. "Rowen and the others should have been back hours ago." 

Just then, Navcase and the others came running up. 

"Amaterasu told us that she feels that the others may be in grave danger." Navcase said.   
"How right you are, traitor..." Ceiphied's voice said. 

The group whirled around to see Ceiphied. 

"What have you done with THEM!!!" Ryo demanded, his aura flaring up.   
"Return our friends NOW!!!" Anubis shouted, charging at the evil being, only to pass right through him.   
"Like, I think it's some sort of astral projection or some junk." Yoko reported.   
"Wonderful time to have told us..." Anubis said, face down on the floor after his charge.   
"I have good news for you, and bad news. The good news is, your friends are all alive."   
"And what's the bad news." Ayako asked. 

The group tensed for the answer. Ryo's temper and aura continued to flare. Navcase held his hands on his sword. Yuriko braced her Naginata. 

"The bad news is, they won't be alive for much longer unless you all come to me. That means all Seven of you."   
"But we haven't found the Seventh yet!" Yoko said, covering her mouth as she said it.   
"Well, you'll have to find him or her, won't you...ta ta." Ceiphied said, vanishing.   
"DAMN!!!!" Ryo said, slamming his fist into a wall, shaking it in pain. "We've got to get them back. Let's get going."   
"Ryo, wait. We should think this through. We need a plan." Anubis said.   
"Anubis is right Ryo." Navcase answered.   
"We're going to need help." Yuriko said.   
"Not to mention some MAJOR firepower. Our stuff did like jack to them last time, fer sure." Yoko said.   
"That's why we're coming." came a voice.   
"Sakura..." Ryo said.   
"Ryo!" she said, running up and hugging him in her hardsuit with her helmet off. "Good to see you. No time to talk. Let's get moving." 

She and the others flew into the air, and zoomed off like comets towards Ceiphied's fortress, while at the site, a shadowy individual cocked his weapons and looked towards the fortress as the sun began to set. 

**To Be Continued...** ****

**Next Episode******

RYO: Yo! Ryo here! Next time, we come face to face with Ceiphied's new toys. He's really been juiced up this time! And on top of that, there's more Draconai than we thought! Where's he get these guys? But can we get to the guys in time? It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Closing in on Victory, Act I. Don't miss it! 


	23. Closing in on Victory, Act I

Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 23: Closing in on Victory, Act I

The city of Toyama loomed over the horizon. Off in the distance, several streaks of light zoomed from offshore towards the area where the evil Draconai Lord, Ceiphied, had taken up residence. Recently, the evil lord had taken the Ronin Warriors into his possession. Now, the Amaterasu Seishi, and the She-Ronins raced towards the fortress, hoping to rescue their comrades. 

"There's the fortress!" Navcase called out as they streaked closer and closer.   
"I hope we can stop him." Ryo said.   
"We're almost there. No turning back." Anubis declared.   
"Don't worry, I brought a little support for our attack." Ayame said, flying up in some sort of autogyro, armed with missiles and a pair of railguns. The other She-Ronins flew alongside her, fully decked out in their armor, along with their Add-ons.   
"Let's go." Ryo said, picking up speed. The others did as well and raced towards the base.   
"Try and keep your power down so that they don't spot us." Navcase said. 

The others nodded and continued onward. From Ceiphied's own fortress, one of his guards noticed something. Streaks of light. Flying towards the base! 

"They're coming! Fire a warning shot!" he ordered. "Ishibiya!" 

The Ishibiya Corps responded and fired their cannons, straight at the group. 

"They've spotted us! Dodge quickly!" Ryo shouted. 

The group peeled off in both directions as the blasts streaked harmlessly by them. 

"Our turn." Ayako said, sending a force blast screaming into them, knocking the Corps down. Ayame opened fire with her missiles, sending them back down. As their own assault started, more Draconai began pouring out of the inner fortress, armed with guns. 

"They've got guns now?" Ryo said, dodging their makeshift antiaircraft fire.   
"Apparently so. We've got to get on the ground, then we'll be able to take them." Anubis said. "We need a diversion."   
"Tsubasa no Hi!" Ryo screamed, his wings erupting from his back. 

But something was wrong. Ryo burst into flame as a third wing appeared between the other two. Ryo struggled to keep control of his powers. 

"HIDAMA EN!!!!!" Ryo screamed, sending one of his super fireballs screaming into the Draconai ranks, sending them scrambling, as the She-Ronins proceeded to touch down on the ground, except for Ayame. Sakura flipped her swords and proceeded to slice into the ranks quickly, while Yuri set off explosion after explosion with her Knuckle Bomber. More fell as Suiren began to slice them down while cloaked, while Ran skated around on her blades, launching remote mines at them. She stopped on a dime and fired her ice beam at a few members of Kouen's clan, long enough for Yuri to punch them to death with her explosive device. As one went down, she noticed another coming right at her. She reached back to punch, when a blur of energy flew through, hitting him in nine places at once, and bracing his sword for another go. 

"Thanks Navcase. I'll take care of the rest of these bastards." Yuri said, taking down a few more.   
"KIYA!!!!!" Yuriko screamed as she sliced through a few more with her naginata. 

Elsewhere, Ryo was ripping though Koureha's clan with flame attack after flame attack. The attacks seemed to hurt them more than usual, and more unusually, him more than usual. Using Kouen's flame mantle was proving to be more harm than good. Ryo broke out his flame swords and began to tear into the forces with them. Still more Draconai were being knocked into hell by the aid of Ayako's force blasts, but they only seemed to stun the creatures. More and more Draconai were running in to strengthen their ranks. Between the twelve of them, the energists were not being ripped out fast enough. 

"Navcase! Yuriko! We have only one option." Anubis said. 

The three focused their power, as their weapons began to glow with a purple aura. Anubis began tearing into the Draconai, who vanished instantly as they were sliced by their powered up blades. Navcase ran by Draconai, cutting them left and right with his blade, vanishing as well. Yuriko cut into more, dispatching them similarly, before the charge wore off. The three were knocked back, their AT Fields absorbing enough of the blow as a rocket hit them and more Draconai charged in, armed with machinecannons, as a group of power armor armed with machinecannons and missiles walked in closer, cutting off their entryway. A series of strange tanks rolled in and transformed into cannons, aiming at the group. 

"This is not good..." Ryo said.   
"And there are still more energists than we can smash in time. Can you use that godlike speed of yours to dodge bullets Navcase?" Anubis asked.   
"In the past, maybe. But that many...I do not think even the Tenken could do that." Navcase said.   
"Relax boys. They haven't met my baby yet." Sakura said slyly.   
"Your..." Anubis started.   
"Baby?" Navcase finished. 

The revving of an engine was heard as a motorcycle crashed through the front gate, firing its twin cannons to drive off the Draconai as Sakura hopped on, made a circle, transformed to humanoid mode as its Add-On flew in and interfaced with the Motorslave. 

"Ceiphied, meet Kanesada." Sakura said. 

Sakura opened fire with her twin cannons, into the ranks of gun armed Draconai, but their AT Fields went up. 

"Damn! They've become resistant to technology! This isn't good." Anubis said.   
"Not for long." Sakura said, pulling out some sort of strange rectangular gun and fired a shot that made the shields vanish. She then opened fire into their ranks, wasting them in rapid succession.   
"Go for it Yoko!" she called out. 

Yoko's hair turned white, as did her eyes, and she rained down lightning bolts on them, frying the members of Rakurai's clan that were assembled. Strange machines, resembling Kinjiro's Mecha Knights stormed out, adding to their problems. 

"MORE OF THESE BASTARDS AAAAAAH!!!!!" Yuri screamed, tearing into them with her Knuckle Bomber and launching S-Mines at them, causing them to explode in tornadoes of energy. "Ran! Use the turrets!" she shouted. 

Ran sent out several strange tripods, which unfolded into cannon turrets, which proceeded to open fire on any target they acquired, except for the warriors themselves. Ayako continued to knock them back with her force blasts, as they launched energy blasts at her, which she absorbed one by one as she discharged more of her force blasts, attempting to knock the machines apart. The Ishibiya Corps took several blasts at her, as she absorbed more and more energy. 

"Ayako! Don't!" Yoko shouted.   
"I...have to...we've got to stop them!"   
"FIRE AGAIN!!!" they shouted. 

They opened fire with maximum power, and she put up her AT Field in an attempt to stop it, causing a huge explosion, followed by a roar. When the dust cleared, the creature stood there, glowing brightly. With lightning speed it ran up to the Draconai one by one and slammed them into walls, sending powerful force blasts screaming into others. The Ishibiya forces fired more and more blasts at her, causing her to absorb more bio-energy, making her stronger. 

"Ayako! Stop this! You can't contain that kind of power!"   
"I can...do it!" she shouted back, her voice warped by her new form. 

The other Draconai fired as fast as they could, as she absorbed more bio-energy, and proceeded to mutate even more. Her angelic wings became almost demonic, as the three spikes coming out of her helmet moved closer together, and some sort of whiptail like Gawl's grew out of the back of her head. An additional two blades each surged out from next to her forearm spikes. Her glovelike hands turned into claws, as her power increased, and she lost control, smashing Draconai, and sending them dangerously close to her own allies. 

"Ayako! Get control! Some of those things down there are on YOUR side!" Ayame shouted to her.   
"Ayako! Like, that Ancient guy said that you've got to get control of your ring for it to work right!" 

The creature roared violently as it continued on its feral rampage, as Ayako struggled to get control. 

"Ayako! You've got to unleash some of the bio-energy you've stored up! It's the only way to change back!" Anubis shouted.   
"I'm trying!" She shouted.   
"There are too many of them! We can't smash the energists fast enough!" Navcase shouted as he took down another. 

The group huddled together as the Draconai closed in, with their new mechanical additions. It seemed to be over for the Seishi, before it barely began. And then, came gunfire. Bullets came at a rapid clip and cut through their armor like it was tinfoil. Draconai fell to the ground, writhing in pain. The Seishi looked at each other and knew what they needed to do. Carefully avoiding the shots, they ripped out the energists and smashed them one by one, as the hail of gunfire continued. The bullets seemed to be flying faster than normally, and a strange hum seemed to be erupting in the area. The group looked over to see a man, with a machinegun in each hand, dressed in SWAT armor firing like a madman, taking down Draconai after Draconai. The remaining forces retreated into the base, shutting the main doors to the inner area. 

"Thank you for your..." Anubis said as he went up to thank the man.   
"You're fools. I don't want your thanks. Besides, I work alone. The only thing I want, is revenge for my three-year old daughter's death, and for the death of my last attempt to take down these monsters. That way is into Ceiphied's inner sanctum. Good luck. You'll need it." he shouted before running off, leaving the Seishi to deal with the main gate. 

"So, how are we supposed to get in this place?" Ryo wondered.   
"Let's see if we can pull it open." Anubis said. 

Each of the Seishi grabbed one of the doors and attempted to pull them open. Ayame landed as the She-Ronins helped out, throwing in Sakura's enhanced Motorslave strength. But the doors would not budge.   
  
"Stand back." Yuri said, adjusting her Knuckle Bomber to maximum strength. Getting a running start, she flew at the door, punching into it with a loud battle cry. The impact however, sent her flying in the other direction. Attaching her cannon, she locked herself into the ground and fired, however, the door still held. Yoko walked up, closed her eyes and focused.   
"There's like, some sort of magical seal. They won't open, and I'm not powerful enough to open them, that's fer sure." 

Suddenly, Ayako, or, rather what was left of her walked up and with extreme strength, pulled the two doors off their hinges, and threw them to the ground. She then proceeded to walk into the fortress. The others readied their weapons and walked in after her. 

The group carefully walked down the halls. The soldiers must have clearly retreated, as the group encountered little opposition, none that could not been easily dispatched. Blood stains were found everywhere, and in some areas, there lay the remains of soldiers that must have been killed when the Draconai first attacked. Yoko was practically sick to her stomach. She tried to leave, but Sakura stopped her. 

"There are sights far worse than this. If you are to be a Seishi, you must acclimate yourself to them." Sakura explained. 

Yoko nodded as the group proceeded onward, coming to a door. 

"This is Ceiphied's main chamber. If he has not left, he will be in here." Navcase said. 

Ayako tore the door open, abruptly, as the group stormed into the darkened room. The lights came on, where the group found Ceiphied sitting before them, with his Elite to either side. 

"Ah, Seishi of Amaterasu. You've managed to locate me." Ceiphied said, sitting there looking evilly, like Gendo or even Eriol in one of his evil streaks. 

"What have you done with our friends Ceiphied!" Ryo demanded.   
"Oh, them. I have a surprise for all of you." Ceiphied said, snapping his claws. 

Several glowing eyes appeared from behind him, as the Ronins and former Warlords walked towards their allies. 

"It seems these gentlemen are jealous of your success and want payback." 

The Seishi stood ready with their weapons as the Ronins and Warlords brought out theirs. 

"ATTACK!!!" Ceiphied shouted, both groups going at each other, going into a manga freeze-frame. 

**To Be Continued...** ****

**Next Episode******

ANUBIS: Anubis here. We've finally found Ceiphied, but before we can take him down, we have to fight through our former allies! What's this, the stranger returns to help us? He's what? And then, can we escape in time when the base comes down on top of us? It's the exciting conclusion to Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; Closing in on Victory, Act II. You won't want to miss this one!   
  



	24. Closing in on Victory, Act II

Ayako tore the door open, abruptly, as the group stormed into the darkened room. The lights came on, where the group found Ceiphied sitting before them, with his Elite to either side. 

"Ah, Seishi of Amaterasu. You've managed to locate me." Ceiphied said, sitting there looking evilly, like Gendo or even Eriol in one of his evil streaks. 

"What have you done with our friends Ceiphied!" Ryo demanded.   
"Oh, them. I have a surprise for all of you." Ceiphied said, snapping his claws. 

Several glowing eyes appeared from behind him, as the Ronins and former Warlords walked towards their allies. 

"It seems these gentlemen are jealous of your success and want payback." 

The Seishi stood ready with their weapons as the Ronins and Warlords brought out theirs. 

"ATTACK!!!" Ceiphied shouted, both groups going at each other, going into a manga freeze-frame.   
  
  
  
  


Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath   
Chapter 24: Closing in on Victory, Act II   


  
  
  
  
  


Yuriko blocked Kento's staff as he swung at her, parrying time and time again, as they danced across the enormous room. Kale charged Navcase as he flew towards him with Gatousu, stopping in time to attempt Ryu Kan Sen. Sai thrust at Yoko, who managed to dodge out of the way as Ran parried with her own staff. 

"Guys! Stop! You don't want to do this!" Ryo shouted, trying to make them listen to reason.   
"Ceiphied's controlling you! Fight it!" Anubis added. 

However, this only made them madder. 

"IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!!!!" Kento shouted, tearing up the floor and sending a flurry of stones which Ayako managed to smash in her bestial state. Dais knocked her aside as he charged Anubis with his beam saber, which Anubis spin dodged out of the way of. Navcase attempted to cut off their path to them with his sword, but Kento grabbed him with his dragon fang and hurled him into a wall, which he kicked off of, flying towards his opponents. 

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu...Ryu Kan Sen, Tsumu-" he said before picked out of the air by Sai's man-catcher and thrown into Yuriko's arms.   
"This is not good." he replied.   
"We've got to keep them from Ryo and Anubis." Yuriko said. 

As the fight continued, a swarm of Draconai stormed into the room, ready for combat. But they were stopped in their tracks by the She-Ronin. 

"Your fight will be with us." Sakura said, flipping her swords downward and slashing the first warrior to pieces as her sisters inflicted similar damage with their own weaponry. 

"Tsubasa no Hi...Ken En...AAAAAAAAAH!!!" Ryo screamed as the increased power sent a surge of power through his body. This power was too much for even him. He managed to focus his flame into swords before they were dispelled by a good slash from Kento that cut his arm.   
"Ryo. We've got to call our armor. We don't stand a chance without it." Anubis said. 

Ryo nodded as the others called out their command words and their armors appeared on their bodies. 

"Watch out!" Navcase shouted as Sai finished his sure-kill kata and sent a water blast screaming at Ryo, who barely dodged, and barely was able to avoid Sage's own assault. Kale brought out his beam sword and crashed down on Navcase, who desperately tried to parry his strength away. With a powerful shove of will he forced Kale back long enough to draw his other blade and slash his armor deeply. He opened up his cannons and took aim at Ceiphied, who simply began to laugh. 

"You fool. I've taken magical precautions. You can't call Amaterasu from in here." Ceiphied shouted.   
"Then maybe this will work!" Ryo shouted, holding his swords above his head. "Luminance from the Heavens!" 

The searing blast of energy flew straight at their former allies, sending them screaming into searing pain. 

"Good! It's working!" Anubis said. 

However, the next moment they brushed it off and came for them once again. Seeing that their main targets were Ryo and Anubis, the other Seishi attempted to get in their way, but Kento pulled them away and slammed them into walls one by one. As they ran back to reinforce him they dealt with the others as Sekhmet and Kento closed in on Ryo and Anubis. Kento swung his staff, which Ryo barely blocked with his Swords of Light, taking a few blows here and there. Sekhmet swung with incredible strength, which Anubis barely managed to fend off. This was difficult. 

"You're going down...Anubis!" Sekhmet declared. "SNAKE...FANG...STRIKE!!!!" he shouted, swinging at Anubis, who brought his wings in front to protect, the poison eating away at the metal.   
"It is going to take more than that to stop me." Anubis said, aiming his scythe towards his former ally. He began to focus as his aura erupted around him. "TAKE THIS!!! DARKNESS FROM THE DEPTHS!!!!" Anubis shouted as a black beam of incredible power shot out from his scythe, knocking Sekhmet into the opposite wall, just as Ryo used his Machinecannons to knock Kento back, folding his wings in front of his face to protect against Kento's flame-throwers. Kento brought up his cannons, blasting Ryo into the wall. 

"Sakura! We've got to try something!" Ryo shouted.   
"What?" Sakura asked as she took down the last of the Draconai soldiers holding them up. 

The girls ran in front of the Seishi, bracing their weapons for combat. 

_(Canta Per Me kicks up)_

"Chou..." they began chanting, their weapons starting to glow.   
"An..." they continued, as the Ronins and Warlords prepared to attack again.   
"What is this..." Ceiphied wondered, as the energies began to continue to build, shaking the room.   
"Dou!" they finished, Sakura's blades bursting into flame, Yuri's staff being surrounded in pebbles, wind swirling around Ayame's bow, Light glowing from Suiren's sword, and Water swirling around Ran's mancatcher. The five appeared in their goddess forms briefly before they shouted in succession. 

"FLARE UP...NOW!!!!!"   
"IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!!!!"   
"ARROW SHOCKWAVE!!!!!"   
"THUNDERBOLT CUT!!!!!"   
"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!!!!!" 

The five attacks flew towards their former allies, mixing together and tearing up the floor as they rocketed towards them, knocking them to the ground. 

"That should do it!" Yuri shouted. 

The warriors slowly struggled to their feet and readied for another go. 

"What's with these guys?" Sakura wondered. 

Yoko drove her shakujo into the ground, focusing every inch of her Seishi power, but to no avail. 

"It's too strong...I'm not powerful enough to break the spell." she said sadly. 

"ATTACK THEM!!!! ALL AT ONCE!!!!!" Ceiphied ordered. 

All the Ronins and Warlords went through their katas and let fly with their sure-kills all at once, barely giving the Seishi enough time to put up their AT Fields. They focused every ounce of their will to withstand the blows, grimacing under the pressure. Suddenly the hum started up again, as the Ronins and Warlords were slammed into the opposite wall, just as the strange SWAT guy from before entered. 

"Get out of here! It's too dangerous!" Navcase shouted. 

The soldier threw down his weapons, just as Ceiphied ordered the Ronins and Warlords to charge him. 

"NO!!!!" The Seishi screamed in unison, closing their eyes to hide the horror. But no scream of pain came, nor a splash of blood. All slowly opened their eyes, to find the Ronins and Warlords stopped only inches from him, held back by some sort of force. Lifting his hands, the soldier lifted them into the air, and somehow pushed them away from him into the wall, slamming them in hard. As the warriors slowly got up Ceiphied ordered them to attack again. But their weapons floated harmlessly from their hands, floating in the air around the soldier, before dropping harmlessly to the ground as more Draconai charged him, whose advances he blocked again and again before tossing some sort of powder on them. The Ronins got up and headed at him again, as the Draconai were lifted into the air by some force, slammed into the Ronins, and knocked into the walls again. 

"I DEMAND TO KNOW WHO IS MAKING A COMPLETE MOCKERY OF ME!!!!" Ceiphied shouted, rising from his chair. 

Reaching around his neck, the soldier slowly removed his riot helmet, revealing himself to be a man with hair about as short as the Suzaku Seishi Mitsukake. His brown eyes cast a cold gaze at Ceiphied, his face looking rough to the touch. He was quite tall and looked much older than even Navcase. 

"My name is Captain Kashin Zoutou." he replied. Then turning to Ceiphied, a great amount of energy began to surge in the room, as an aura erupted around him, and the kanji for Magnetism glowed on his forehead. "But I think you would know me better by my Seishi title, Jisei-sama, the Lord of Magnetism." 

The other Seishi gasped in shock. They had done it! They had found the final Seishi! The base began to shake as Kashin proceeded to push his power higher and higher. The walls began to creak violently as his power leaped higher and higher. 

"Ceiphied..." he said calmly, "Release them from your control, or I'll bring down the entire base."   
"You're bluffing." Ceiphied said. 

Kashin smirked at Ceiphied, before asking coolly, "Am I?" He focused again, causing the walls of the base to start to buckle as the metal behind them began to creak violently, as the walls began to crumble. "Let them go Ceiphied..." he said, "Or I'll pull this place apart by its superstructure." 

Ceiphied's anger began to increase as fast as Kashin pushed his power higher and higher, sweat beginning to drip from his face under the incredible strain. He could not loose his allies. Still, he could not loose his forces either. 

"Master!! Please! Listen to him before this whole place collapses!" the Elite pleaded with him. 

Ceiphied watched Kashin. He did not seem to be budging. He seemed to be serious about this. With every passing second, the place shook even worse. He had no choice. It was either submit, or suicide. Focusing his power, he waved his hand, as the Ronins dropped to the ground, unsure of what had happened. Kashin backed off, his power died down, and the base stopped buckling. 

"You think, that's going to stop ME?" Ceiphied shouted. 

Ceiphied began to roar as his own power began to surge, much higher than even Kashin's. The base began to rumble again and the ceiling began to give in as his power surged. What Kashin had started, Ceiphied was sure to finish. He had to do something. 

"GET OUT!!! NOW!!!!" Kashin shouted to the others.   
"What about you?" Navcase asked.   
"I'll try to hold this up as long as I can!" Kashin shouted. "Get out! I'll be right behind you!" he shouted, beginning to focus his power again. 

"Let's get out of here!" Ryo shouted, as the Seishi began to lead the disoriented Ronins and Warlords out. Rubble had fallen on the pathway out, as Ryo tore into it with his fire powers, attempting to blast the bulge away. Navcase flew into it with Kuzu Ryu Sen, and together, the two managed to knock a way out, as they began heading out the door, with Ryo blasting any falling rubble as the others helped lead them through the maze of a base as it continued to crumble. In the main chamber, Ceiphied continued to power up, screaming at the top of his lungs as his eyes turned to nothing but white. Kashin focused desperately to hold things up. 

"Come on! You've done enough!" Ran pleaded.   
"No! Save yourself!" he shouted back.   
"Please, you have to come with us. We need your help...please?" Ran pleaded. 

Looking into her innocent eyes, Kashin felt something, something he had not felt in a very long time. His grim expression faded as he followed her out, leaving Ceiphied as the building collapsed around him. 

As the group fled, foolish Draconai bent for a fight got into their way. 

"You're not getting out!" they declared. 

With one swipe Ayako knocked them aside as they hurried towards the exit. As they neared it, the group was stopped by the Elite. The group prepared for combat, but they saw a look of fear that they shared. They were terrified of Ceiphied as the others were. 

"We will allow you to pass, if you will only return the Mantle of Flame to us." Kouen asked. 

Ryo nodded and shed his armor, removed the armor plating, and gave it back to Kouen, who powered it back up. 

"Thank you." Kouen said. 

With that the group hurried towards the exit. Suddenly a beam fell from the ceiling, pinning Ayame to the floor. Rowen ran over and tried to lift it with all his might, as Yuri and the others headed over, as did Ayako, barely lifting it off the ground enough for her to crawl out. Kashin tried to help, but he was still weak from trying to bring the house down. 

"Kashin! See if you can hold the ceiling up enough for us to get her free!" Navcase shouted. 

Surprisingly, a five sets of Draconai hands wrapped around the beam and began to lift with all their strength. Together with the others, Ayame managed to get free, as they dropped it with a clang and hurried toward the exit. As they came into the Courtyard with the Elite, they spread their wings and began to rise into the air. 

"When next we meet, we shall be enemies again!" Kouen declared as they flew off with the gigantic swarm of Draconai heading away from the base. 

"There are still Draconai inside! We must try to get them out." Navcase declared.   
"Let them die. It's their fault Ryo died, we got captured, they've caused us nothing but hell. They deserve this." Kento said, his faceplate opened. 

Kashin walked up, and tensing, punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. 

"I will take my revenge against the horrid race in combat, not in a cruel twist of fate such as this." Kashin said, focusing his power once again. Calling towards the heavens, he called out... 

"ARMOR OF THE SHINING HEAVENS!!!!" 

An armor, looking like the Shining Gundam began to attach around his body, as he opened up various panels and began to focus his power once again. The walls of the base slowly began to rise, allowing more Draconai to escape and flying to the air. Ryo and the other Seishi looked at each other, and began to focus as well, giving their power to Kashin, as more and more of the Draconai swarmed out and took to the air. At last no others fled out, and the group cut off their power, causing the building to crumble on top of itself. 

"We...did it!" Rowen shouted. 

The group broke into cheer, at Ceiphied's death finally being achieved. He was finally defeated. The Ronins removed their helmets and hugged their respective girlfriends. Sai and Ran kissed, as did Sakura and Ryo. Yuriko wrapped around Navcase in celebration. But he slowly brushed her away. 

"Navcase, what's wrong?" she asked.   
"I feel something. Something very evil." Navcase said, re-igniting his beam saber and slowly stepping towards the rubble. The other Seishi soon began to feel it as well, and readied their own weapons as they joined Navcase. The distance between the rubble and them slowly closed until they were right on top of it. The group watched, and waited. 

Suddenly, a gigantic form roared and shot out from the rubble, knocking the Seishi off their feet and onto the ground. They hurried to their feet as an enormous dragon uncoiled menacingly and intimidatingly above them and the city. It was uglier than all the other Draconai, scarred from years of combat, with a death gaze in its eyes. 

"THIS IS NOT THE END, AMATERASU SEISHI!!!" the creature roared. "I MAY LOOK DEFEATED, BUT AS WE SPEAK, MY WARRIORS ARE SCOURING THE GLOBE FOR THE DRAKKA SHICHISEISHI AND THE PRIESTESS OF DRAKKA, WHO WILL RISE TO OPPOSE YOU, AND BRING DARKNESS TO THE WORLD FOR ETERNITY!!!! 

The warriors gasped in surprise at his words, and braced for battle.   


"YOU SHOULD ENJOY YOUR VICTORY, FOR IT WILL BE YOUR LAST!!!!!!" he roared, before snaking like a eel into the sky, following behind his minions, flying off into the night. 

Later... 

A grand victory celebration erupted in the Palace of the Heavens. Yuri and Kento ate as they usually did. Sai and Ran put together a ungodly feast. The drinks overflowed, the music resounded throughout the palace, as a mood of incredible bliss spread through the palace. That is, except for Kashin. He carefully retreated from the party and headed to his room. Ran spotted him and began to slowly follow behind him. Navcase sensed something would go wrong and followed behind the two. 

Kashin stepped into the doorway, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a photograph. It was of a young girl, of about three. Kashin's eyes began to tear as he heard Ran's sweet voice. 

"Why are you crying?" she asked, innocently. However, Kashin's tears seemed to burn away as his anger began to flare.   
"Don't you know how to give people their privacy?" he shouted, frightening the girl. "Leave me alone! How did you get in here! GET OUT!!!! GET OUT NOW!!!!!!" he shouted, as Ran hurried out of the room, bumping into Navcase as she burst into tears. 

"Shhh...It'll be all right. He'll come around...Hopefully." Navcase said, attempting to comfort the young girl. 

Meanwhile, Kashin sat on his bed, staring at the picture. 

"My dear Karen...why did you have to die...?" he said solemnly. "I promise you, I'll make that bastard pay for what he did to you...Karen..." 

"...Karen?" a girl's voice said, echoing in the darkness. "...Karen?" 

The darkness was flooded with light as a girl opened her eyes to blurry figures standing over her. 

"Hey Karen, wake up!" the voice said again. 

Her eyes came into focus as her consciousness began to catch up with her. 

"Come on sleepyhead, wake up. You've got to stop immersing yourself in those anime soundtracks of yours." the taller girl said. She had dirty blonde hair and wore glasses.   
"Yeah, C'mon Karen, let's go get something to eat, I'm starving. I've already circled this whole park about 5 times while you were out for about 20 minutes." the other, more athletic girl said. She was Korean and was wearing a arm and kneepads as well as a helmet, wearing in-line skates. 

The girl slowly rose to her feet and stretched out as she yawned. She was of Japanese decent and had long black hair with brown highlights, and her face seemed to echo Ran's slightly as she wiped the sleep from her brown eyes. She plucked the earbuds from her ears as the faint sounds of "Philosophy in a Tea Cup" played on. Her two friends grabbed her and dragged her out of the Esplanade and off into the city of Boston.   
  
  
  
  


**_This is the End of Part 3._**

**The End?**   


  
  
  
  
  


_Author's Afterward_

_Well, that's it. Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath is complete at last, after almost three years of planning, just in time for New Year's._

_I can say that this has been an interesting experience to write something, at times that is so deep and moving. When your friends and your major readers come up to you and tell you how much they want to kill your characters at times, you know you've succeeded in some way or another. But the journey has been interesting._

_It all started, the spring of my sophomore year of college, when I decided that I wasn't half as good as half the anime directors around, and that I had to throw in every ounce of seriousness into my work if I was to be taken seriously. I had to break the mold I had formed around me, that I was nothing more than a lord of comedy, gag humor, and one liners. So thus, it began._

_I knew I had to be bold and dramatic to prove that I had changed. I had to kill main characters, give exceptional fights, deep plots, and characters. And as was stated by the Ronins early on in the story, I needed enemies that didn't "think that spandex was a fashion statement." And thus, the story of the Draconai began. I gave them a backstory, and proceeded to write the synopsis, a synopsis that would take me almost two years before I got around to finishing it, after revision after revision. In the meantime, I continued to write "Ronin vs.", starting to build towards Dragon's Wrath little by little._

_I wrote "vs. Mystic Knights," laying the groundwork for the Draconai problem, continuing onward in "Lightspeed Galaxy." Sometime around August 3, 2001, that series came to a close. Then, it was time._

_One day, almost two weeks before I returned to college for my final semester, I opened the synopsis, and thus, Ronin Warriors, Dragon's Wrath was born._

_When Navcase was first created, he was intended to be nothing more than an homage to Nobuhiro Watsuki's "Rurouni Kenshin". If you look at the old stuff, it's very clear, with his manner of speech, his style of fighting, among other things. I'm glad that he's mostly escaped from that mold and taken on a life of his own._

_The She-Ronin are almost my crowning achievement. What started off as little more than girlfriends for the Ronins evolved into deep and interesting characters. Sakura with her attitude and bitchiness...Yuri with her big heart and boyish demeanor, Suiren becoming the epitome of feminity...Ran's childlike innocence, and Ayame's whole negative outlook on life, no thanks to Sakura. I keep forgetting, honestly, that Sakura resolved to be nicer to her, and they stay at each other's throats. (Note to Self: Get to the bottom of Sakura's problems)_

_Ryo was originally supposed to train WITH King Kai...however, I reasoned that the training would be best spent with Amaterasu to handle the Draconai problem._

_The series was originally to end at part 24...but there was so much left to do, and too hard to cover in two episodes. But don't worry, there's more. Just wait patiently._

_I have created homages to so many of my favorite manga-ka and series throughout the story, it seems. The whole Seishi thing is a gigantic tribute to Yuu Watase, who in no small part is responsible for showing me how to truly tell a story. I can honestly agree with her heroine, the famed Miaka Yuuki, when I say that it was truly the best book I ever read. Look throughout the story, and especially part 18, for huge homages to her two best known works, "Fushigi Yûgi" and "Ayashi no Ceres"._

_The whole "enhanced heroes" thing has undergone many changes. At first, it was just Ryo and Anubis, who had to become godlike to summon these super armors. Ryo's wings of feathers after time became wings of pure flame. Navcase dying turned into him becoming a hero helping Ryo and Anubis, and then that became the Seishi._

_The Seishi were originally going to be only seven, a double edged sword. Ceiphied could use them to summon Drakka, but Amaterasu could use them for a similar purpose. But an overdose on X/1999 caused me to create an additional set of Seishi, loyal to Drakka, to balance things out. I still have not been able to find something for the non-Seishied heroes to do (if anyone has any ideas, I'll be glad to hear them)._

_What of Ceiphied? Will he succeed, or will the Seishi of Amaterasu defeat him? Who are these Drakka Shischisei, and what part will they play? And who is this Karen? I'm sure I'll get thousands of questions while I plot the next volume, tentatively titled, "Ronin Warriors: Hell Back on Earth." But even I don't have those answers yet. I don't even know where it will go. But I promise you...It'll be exciting._

_-Destonus_


End file.
